Don’t Force Iran to Go to War: Philippines President

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte warned the US and other countries to avoid "egging Iran to go to war".

News ID: 71396

Date: 26 July 2018 - 11:02

TEHRAN (Defapress) – "Then they should stop egging Iran to go to war because then if that's what will happen, even a few hundred missiles, nuclear then there's no use talking about climate change," Duterte on Wednesday, speaking at a climate change conference.

He then called for "sobriety" and "cooler heads" in order to avoid a war.

"It behooves upon the leaders of nations who are really there and who can make the change, they can do much and we appreciate nations who approach the problem in sobriety and understanding and providing the cooler heads, so to speak," he said.

"Let us decide that we avoid war because that would be disaster," Duterte said.

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump threatened Iran of severe "consequences" after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani delivered a speech warning the US that any confrontation would lead to the "mother of all wars."

Rouhani had warned his US counterpart not to play with the lion’s tail after Trump’s push to halt Iran’s export of oil.

“Mr. Trump! Do not play with the lion’s tail, (because) you’ll regret it. You are unable to provoke the Iranian nation against Iran’s security and interests,” Rouhani said.

During a recent visit to Austria, Rouhani pledged that Tehran will stand firm against the US threat to halt Iranian oil shipments, saying no other country in the region could export oil if Iran is to be deprived of oil exports.

A number of top Iranian military officials supported the idea afterwards, saying Iran has the ability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz if necessary.

On Saturday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei praised Rouhani’s firm response to the US threat to halt Iran’s oil exports, saying his significant stances that signify the Establishment’s policy must be seriously pursued by the Foreign Ministry.

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