No military option on the table against Iran – US Defense Secretary

Tabnak – As the war of words has been intensifying between high-ranking Iranian and American officials and amid some media reports that the Unites States is considering resorting to the military option against Iran, US Secretary of Defense rejects such speculations as “fiction.”

In this vein, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis dismissed on Friday an Australian report alleging that the Trump administration is prepared to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities as soon as August.

According to a report by The National, Mattis poured cold water on a news report by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) quoting Australian government sources who “believe the United States is prepared to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, perhaps as early as next month, and that Australia is poised to help identify possible targets.” Mattis called it “fiction” and not something that’s on the table at the moment.

"I have no idea where the Australian news people got that... I am confident it is not something that is being considered right now... frankly its fiction as best I can give you” the US defense chief said.

The ABC report claimed that “Australian defense facilities would likely play a role in identifying targets in Iran, as would British intelligence agencies,” noting the emission of Canada and New Zealand – two smaller members of the so called "Five Eyes" intelligence sharing countries.

Mattis comments followed a “principals meeting” at the White House on Iran, chaired by US national security adviser John Bolton and attended by senior cabinet members and military commanders. Mattis, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Joint Chiefs of Staff Joseph Dunford were among those who attended the meeting on Thursday.

Australia's Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also rejected reports on Friday that his country would help US attack Iran’s nuclear facilities within a month, saying the entire story was pure “speculation”.

“The story on the ABC, which cites senior Australian government sources, has not benefited from any consultation with me, the foreign minister, the defense minister or the chief of the defense force,” Turnbull told ABC radio, adding, “So perhaps you should inquire of the authors of the article.”

Meanwhile, on the Iranian side, Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari scorned the enemies’ rhetoric of harsh military action on Iran, saying the foes have found it impossible to carry out their threats against the Islamic Republic.

In comments in a gathering of university students on Friday morning, the IRGC commander derided the threat of military strike against the Islamic Republic as “empty and idle”.

“In the fortieth anniversary of (victory of) the Islamic Revolution, the threats and sanctions by the enemies have reached their peak, but the only threat they would not carry out is the military threat,” Major General Jafari added.

He also warned the enemies against the “heavy costs” they will have to pay in case of taking military action on Iran, saying such offensive would upset their “soft war” plot against the Islamic Republic.