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Saudi prince rules out strike on Iran

16 November 2011 03:57 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The former Saudi intelligence agency chief has ruled out the prospect of a military strike against Iran, saying an attack would have catastrophic consequences, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Prince Turki al-Faisal made the remarks during a trip to Washington on Tuesday.

â€œAn attack on Iran, I think, will have catastrophic consequencesâ€¦ Such an actâ€¦ would be foolish and to undertake itâ€¦ would be tragic,â€ he said.

The former Saudi ambassador to Washington said that an attack would make Iranians defend their nuclear program more adamantly.

The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Iran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program and are using the charge as a pretext to push for the imposition of new sanctions on Iran and to beat the drums of war for an attack on the Islamic Republic.

Iran argues that as a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the IAEA it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology meant for peaceful purposes.

Iranian officials have promised a crushing response to any military strike against the country, warning that such a measure could create a war that would expand beyond the Middle East.

Turki al-Faisal also brought up the United States’ false accusation of Iranian involvement in an alleged assassination plot on US soil.

On October 11, the US Justice Department accused Iran of plotting to assassinate Saudi Arabian Ambassador Adel al-Jubeir, with help from a man suspected of being a member of a Mexican drug cartel.

Tehran says the media hype created by Washington is an attempt to deflect attention from the anti-corruption and anti-corporatism protests currently rocking the country.