State Dept: Military Option Remains on the Table Against Iran

Officials accuse Iran of sending small arms, drones abroad

In the course of reiterating allegations that Iran is sending small arms and drones to its allies abroad, the US State Department also issued a threat to attack Iran. They warned the US “will not hesitate to use military force” and that the option remains open for Iran.

The US has been threatening to attack Iran for decades now. The threats had calmed down in recent years, with the P5+1 nuclear deal, but with the deal subsequently dishonored by the Trump Administration, it seems the old status quo of constant sanctions and threats is returning.

The allegations about drones and arms center around Pentagon-provided images of wreckage which they say contained the logos of Iranian arms makers. The arms shipments are said to center on Yemen, in keeping with Saudi allegations.

Iran has denied such claims in the past, and views these occasional State Department presentations as being done primarily as a political stunt to allow the administration to keep threatening Iran.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.