In an exclusive interview with CNN, Kamal Kharazi, a foreign policy adviser in Iran’s supreme leader’s office, ruled out diplomacy for the moment and said the war will only end with economic pressure – signaling a hardening of the regime’s stance.
The official also warned that the Iranian regime is prepared for a long war with the United States and signaled that it is willing to continue attacking Gulf countries in an effort to persuade them to convince President Donald Trump to back down.
“I don’t see any more room for diplomacy. Donald Trump has been deceiving others and not fulfilling his promises, and we experienced this on two occasions during the negotiations – while we were negotiating, we were attacked,” Kharazi told CNN this Monday (9).
“There is no room for anything else unless economic pressure increases to the point where other countries intervene to ensure an end to American and Israeli aggression against Iran,” Kharazi said, suggesting that Gulf Arab countries and other nations need to pressure the US to end the war.
“This war has generated a lot of pressure – economic pressure – on other countries, in terms of inflation, energy shortages, and if it continues, this pressure will increase even more, and therefore other countries will have no choice but to intervene,” he said.
Since the US and Israel started the war, Iran has attacked several . Tehran claims it is targeting American interests in Gulf nations, but residential buildings and airports have also been frequent targets of attacks.
A spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday (8) that Iran is using 60% of its firepower to attack American bases and “strategic interests” in the region.
Iran official says leadership is united
Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei, Ali Khamenei’s second son, was elevated to the country’s highest office over the weekend, an indication that a further escalation in the conflict is likely.
Asked whether the Iranian military and supreme leadership are united going forward, Kharazi replied: “Yes, exactly.”
“The responsibility of the leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to lead the country’s defense capability and therefore, just as Ayatollah Khamenei did this, so will the new leader,” he said.
Trump said last week that naming Khamenei as his father’s successor would be “unacceptable” to him.
“That’s none of his business,” Kharazi responded to CNN about the comment.
Iran attacks impact global energy trade
Iranian attacks also exploited the fragility of global energy trade, including infrastructure and transit routes.
Maritime traffic practically collapsed, causing crude oil prices to exceed US$100 (equivalent to around R$521) per barrel this Monday, shaking consumers and the stock market.
An estimated 20% of that was disrupted by war, roughly double the record set during the Suez Crisis of 1956 and 1957, according to historical data from Rapidan Energy Group.
The war not only stopped the flow of oil out of the region, it also effectively eliminated the “reserve capacity” that normally serves as a buffer in energy markets.
Reserve capacity measures how much additional oil production could be quickly resumed if necessary.
*Kara Fox, Catherine Nicholls e Matt Egan, da CNN, contributed to this report
Editor’s note: A CNN operates in Iran with the permission of the Iranian government as required by local regulations. THE CNN maintains full editorial control over the content it reports. The Iranian government does not review, approve or preview news reports. CNN before its publication or transmission.
