US started war to stop India, China from becoming global powers: Iranian diplomat

Iran representative Dr Abdul Majid Hakeem Ilahi.

• Iran claims US started war to hinder India, China, Russia's rise
• Ilahi: Iran seeks peace, blames US and Israel for attacks
• Trump rejects Iran's claims, vows to continue military operations

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Amid the escalating tension between Israel and Iran that has put the Middle East in turmoil, an Iranian representative accused the US of waging the war, more so because Washington does not want countries such as India, China and Russia to rise and become powerful nations.

In an interview with news agency ANI, Abdul Majeed Hakeem Ilahi, Special representative of the supreme leader of Iran, "They (US) are the ones attacking us and bombing our civilians; we are simply defending ourselves. Iran did not start this war...We hope that at this second, the war stops. But this is not in our hands. This is in the hands of America and the Zionist regime. They started, they have to stop it..."

Ihahi's claim is supported by President Donald Trump, who on Tuesday firmly rejected claims that Israel maneuvered Washington into war with Iran, arguing instead that he believed Tehran was preparing to strike first and that the United States acted to stay ahead of the threat.

Ilahi further accused that the US is creating conflicts to prevent powerful countries like India, China, and Russia from rising. He also said the US wants to maintain its dominance and doesn't want partners, especially powerful nations.

"The aim of America is not Iran, but after Iran, it will come to other countries. According to investigations, in the near future...the most powerful countries in the world will be India, China, Russia, and America as well. So US doesn't want to have any partner; it doesn't want India or China to emerge as powerful peers. Consequently, they instigate these wars to prevent this shift and maintain their global dominance," said Ilahi.

On being asked why Tehran was targeting other Gulf nations such as Bahrain, UAE and Qatar, the Iranian representative said that in the first place, Tehran did not attack its neighbours as it was negotiating with the US through Oman before the recent attacks.

"We should look back at the events of last week. Iran had begun negotiating with America through Oman, and both parties were at the table. We were moving towards a conclusion. In fact, on the final day, the Omani Foreign Minister...said that we had made substantial progress and achieved a great deal through these discussions. We were on the verge of issuing a joint statement, and we hoped the conflict would finally end. It was immediately after this that America and Israel attacked us," said Ilahi.

"...Never, ever did we attack our neighbours. America is not our neighbour. But America and Israel used some bases from our neighbours, especially in the Persian Gulf. They used these bases and attacked Iran...If we want to defend ourselves, we have to attack these American bases. We informed Arab countries, our good neighbours, that we are not going to attack you...," he said.

Emphasizing that Iran wants peace and security, Ilahi said they also want a guarantee of no future attacks and the removal of sanctions in exchange for peace. "We never left the negotiating table; they did. They were the ones to initiate this war against us...We are ready for negotiations. But the negotiating should be with dignity, not dictating something against Iran," said Ilahi.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump dismissed these overtures as "too late." He asserted that the Iranian military infrastructure--specifically its Navy, Air Force, and air defenses--has been largely "obliterated."

Trump stated that while he may talk "eventually," the military operation will continue until Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities are fully destroyed.