Iran FM: 'All options on table' means law of jungle, should wake Americans up

Iran Press TV

Sunday, 30 August 2020 4:52 PM

Iran's foreign minister says the "all options on the table" threat, which has been a hallmark of the US policy toward other countries, is now being used against citizens of the US itself, expressing hope that this would serve as a "wake-up call" for the Americans.

Mohammad Javad Zarif made the remarks in reaction to statements by acting US Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf who told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that "all options continue to be on the table" to end violent protests in Portland, Oregon, including sending in federal law enforcement assistance.

He described Washington's frequently-used "all options on the table" threat as a "staple" of the country's foreign policy, which "simply means the law of the jungle: disregard for a fundamental principle of int'l law: Non-Use of Force."

Zarif's tweet also contains an innuendo to the fact that American officials have frequently used the sentence in an implicit threat of military force against Iran.

The top Iranian diplomat emphasized that the regime of US President Donald Trump is now "using the same threat" against the American people.

"A wake-up call? God willing," Zarif said.

Portland has been the scene of angry protests against police injustice and racial discrimination since May, when George Floyd, a black American, was killed by a white police officer in Minnesota.

Tensions in the city intensified in July after the Trump administration deployed federal agents to crack down on the protests.

On Saturday, one person was killed after clashes broke out between Black Lives Matter protesters and supporters of Trump, which is blamed for a rise in racism.

The New York Times reported that supporters of Trump and counter-protesters engaged in skirmishes on the streets, with people shooting paint ball guns from the beds of pickup trucks and protesters throwing objects back at them.