US will 'face the consequences' of any Kharg Island operation, Iran official says
The U.S. will "face the consequences" if it launches any ground operation to seize Iran's Kharg Island, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday, during his weekly press conference.
Asked about President Donald Trump's threats to seize the strategically-located island in the northern Persian Gulf, Baghaei said there are people in Iran who are "counting down the minutes to welcome" U.S. forces.
Baghaei told reporters that Iran's implementation of the memorandum of understanding with the U.S. "became practically impossible" as a result of the recent resumption in fighting.
Asked whether the MOU was now void, Baghaei said, "An understanding or agreement has value and validity as long as its parties adhere to their obligations; otherwise, it will be nothing more than a document on paper."
"This agreement was formed on the basis of mutual obligations, and with its violation by the United States, its implementation by Iran became practically impossible," Baghaei added.
Asked about Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying on Sunday that the U.S. was open to diplomacy with Iran, Baghaei said Iran does not believe the U.S. is negotiating in good faith.
"When the US talks about diplomacy, it means imposition, intimidation, threats and sanctions, and certainly as long as they are in this space and seek to impose their demands on the Iranian nation, our response will definitely be to defend Iran's dignity and national sovereignty," Baghaei said.
"The guarantee of implementing any treaty and agreement is the power of the parties, and we are determined to make this tool more powerful day by day," he added.
Baghaei also repeated Tehran's long-time assertion that Iran is "determined to take the necessary measures to exercise our sovereignty and to ensure that the Strait of Hormuz is not abused to harm our interests."
-ABC News' Victoria Beaule
