‘Very dangerous’, says Javad Zarif on Iran-US situation

New Delhi: Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Wednesday said that the current situation between Iran and the United States is “very dangerous”.

“Very dangerous”, said Zarif when asked by ANI how he sees the developments in the region.

Zarif will deliver his remarks at the ongoing Raisina Dialogue 2020 later in the day.

The remarks by the Iranian foreign minister come at a time when global attention is focused on the simmering tensions in the Middle East post the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by a Pentagon-ordered drone attack in Baghdad earlier this month, which has further strained ties between Washington and Tehran.

India has been maintaining that it would like the situation to de-escalate as soon as possible and the country has been in touch with key players including Iran, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar as it has important interests in the region.

Last week, Iran launched over a dozen ballistic missiles targeting at least two bases where US military and coalition forces’ are stationed in Iraq.

Soleimani’s killing led to a dramatic escalation of tension between the US and Iran which was already strained after Washington exited from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the “Iran nuclear deal,” in 2018.

Since then, the US has slapped a multitude of sanctions targetting the Iranian economy with Tehran terming Washington’s move as “economic terrorism”.

India has strategic interests in the Gulf region which is a key source of its energy security.