As US Moves Troops To Mideast, Iran Pledges To Defend Itself

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Sunday that the Islamic Republic would plan to defend itself from any foreign aggression, as President Donald Trump ordered to move 1,500 U.S. troops to the Gulf region earlier this week.

"We will defend against any war efforts against Iran, whether it be an economic or military one, and we will face against these efforts with strength," Zarif said.

Iraq, a regional ally of Iran, also disagrees with U.S. policies towards the Islamic Republic.

"We are saying very clearly and honestly that we oppose the unilateral actions taken by the United States. We stand with the Islamic Republic of Iran in its position," Mohammed al-Hakim, the Iraqi Foreign Minister said.

Tension is high between the U.S. and Iran. The Trump administration has blamed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard for attacks against oil tankers near the United Arab Emirates last week and also said that Iranian proxies were responsible for firing rockets into Iraq. This resulted in the Trump administration moving 1,500 troops into the Gulf region, which Zarif has called "extremely dangerous."

The tensions ramped up last year as the Trump administration decided to withdraw from the Iranian nuclear deal, which allowed the Iranians to develop nuclear material in exchange for international inspections to ensure the Islamic Republic wasn't developing nuclear weapons.