'Ready For Peace And War... Donald Trump Changes His Stance Everyday': Iranian Ambassador On West Asia War

New Delhi: Amid the escalating crisis in West Asia, Iranian Ambassador to India Mohammad Fathali in an exclusive conversation with Republic TV discussed regional tensions stating, "amid the current situation, all the state institution and public services are moving forward in normal and legal way."

Iris Dena sinking by US submarine

On being asked about the Iranian vessel being struck by the US submarine near Sri Lanka, he added, "This is very bad news and sad news. We are on the process and we want to follow this case and our relevant institutions will now investigate what has happened and what was the reason for this. But this is very bad news and very sad news."

‘An atrocity at sea’

It must be noted that the U.S. Navy sank an Iranian warship on Tuesday night in the Indian Ocean, killing at least dozens of Iranian sailors, which Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi decried Thursday as “an atrocity at sea.”

“Frigate Dena, a guest of India’s Navy carrying almost 130 sailors, was struck in international waters without warning,” he wrote on social media. “Mark my words: The U.S. will come to bitterly regret (the) precedent it has set.”

The U.S. and Israel launched the war Saturday, targeting Iran’s leadership, missile arsenal and nuclear program while suggesting that toppling the government is a goal. But the exact aims and timelines have repeatedly shifted, signaling an open-ended conflict.

Khamenei mourning postponed

The tempo of American and Israeli strikes on Iran was so intense Wednesday that state television announced the mourning ceremony for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the start of the conflict, would be postponed. Millions attended the funeral of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in 1989.

Fathali on Donald Trump's stance

Iranian Ambassador on further being asked about Donald Trump's claim of war ending on four weeks and later cutting it to two weeks stated, “Donald Trump, I think that's a change every day and every hour he changes his stance. He added, ”unfortunately they disturbed and destroyed all the international norms and all international law."

Fathali further went on to say, "We are ready for peace and war, but absolutely we prefer the peace and we reinterred the negotiation. And in spite of that, we be fully aware about the intention, but for taking away any excuse from them, we demonstrate our sincerity. And unfortunately, they showed open hostility."

Trump praised the U.S. military

President Donald Trump meawhile praised the U.S. military for “doing very well on the war front, to put it mildly.” Fellow Republicans in the U.S. Senate stood with Trump on Iran as they voted down a resolution seeking to halt the war.

The war has killed more than 1,000 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials in those countries. It has disrupted the supply of the world’s oil and gas, snarled international shipping and stranded hundreds of thousands of travelers in the Middle East.

In two near-simultaneous Israeli drone strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs late Wednesday, two vehicles were hit, killing three people and wounding six, the health ministry said. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hezbollah member, adding that further details would follow.

A New Supreme Leader

Iran’s leaders are scrambling to replace Khamenei, who ruled the country for 37 years. It is only the second time since the 1979 Islamic Revolution that a new supreme leader is being chosen.

Potential candidates range from hard-liners committed to confrontation with the West to reformists who seek diplomatic engagement. Mojtaba Khamenei, Khamenei’s son, has long been considered among them, though he has never held a government position.

In a sign that Iran’s leadership will only seek to consolidate its power, the head of the judiciary warned that “those who cooperate with the enemy in any way will be considered an enemy.”

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