According to one of the highest-ranking Iranian officials, the US has exhausted all of its options in the region and has nothing more to put against Iran, noting that the Trump administration has failed in achieving its goals.
Iranian Secretary of the Expediency Council, Mohsen Rezaei, in an interview with Iran's Channel 2, mocked US President Donald Trump and what he says is Washington's inability to respond to the downing of a US drone earlier this year.
“When the Americans are incapable of retaliating against Iran for the downing of their ultra-secret plane, would they be able to help Saudi Arabia? They cannot defend themselves, so how would they defend Saudi Arabia? Everybody has received that message,” he said, according to The Times of Israel.
Earlier this year, the US policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran led to a rapid escalation of tensions in the region, culminating in June when the IRGC downed a US drone, which it claimed had violated Iranian airspace. The US did not retaliate against Iran militarily, although US media reported that cyberattacks on Iranian infrastructure were conducted.
The “maximum pressure” policy was a continuation of the Trump stance on Iran, which began in 2018, after he unilaterally withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions lifted during the Obama administration, largely cutting Iran off from international trade. Iran claims the sanctions prevent Tehran from acquiring humanitarian goods, such as advanced…
