Tasnim � Iran will not stand idly by and watch other oil producers export their products if it is deprived of crude exports under a US plan, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said.


�If Iran cannot export its oil, it will naturally not stand idly by and see others export theirs. If we are not able to export (oil), others will not be either,� Araqchi said in an interview with Al-Alam news website on Monday.

Pointing to Iran�s numerous options for dealing with the US plot to drive the country�s oil exports down to zero, Araqchi expressed the hope that Tehran would not have to resort to its options, saying the US allies, the Europeans, Russia, China and India are negotiating to fulfill Iran�s demands and prevent the conditions in which Iran would have to take up its options.

His comments came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned his US counterpart not to play with the lion�s tail as Donald Trump is pushing to halt Iran�s export of oil.

Rouhani also said a war with Iran would be �the mother of wars� and that control over the Strait of Hormuz is only one of Iran�s advantages.

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.