A senior Iranian official said on Wednesday that Tehran is ready for all scenarios from “confrontation to diplomacy”, but the United States cannot afford another war in the Middle East.

Any conflict in the region will have “unimaginable consequences,” the official told Reuters.

Washington has sent additional military forces to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and Patriot missiles, in a show of force against what U.S. officials have said are Iranian threats to its troops and interests in the region.

Iran does not want a war in the region, the official said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif accused the United States of unnecessarily escalating the situation in the region in remarks to reporters Monday. Iran is not seeking conflict with the US, Zarif said during a visit to India, “but we have always defended ourselves.”

Source: Reuters