Iran's foreign minister says if war breaks out it won't be a 'limited one'

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Iran does not plan on starting a war, but they will finish one if a conflict should eventually happen.

In an interview airing on Sunday's edition of CBS' Face the Nation, host Margaret Brennan asked Zarif if he was "confident" that Iran could avoid a war. Zarif was pretty forthright in his response, simply responding "no." He did add that he is confident Tehran will not start a conflict, however. But he said "whoever starts one will not be the one who finishes it." When Brennan asked him to clarify, Zarif said that he means if a war does break out it will not be a "limited" one.

Zarif also criticized the United States' decision to send more troops to the Gulf region in a speech, describing it as "posturing." Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhi had some harsh words Sunday for the U.S., as well, calling the decision a "disaster" and urging foreign forces to stay out of the region. "If they're sincere, then they should not make our region the site of an arms race," he said during a speech. "The farther you keep yourselves from our region and our nations, the more security there will be."

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In the same speech, he did say that Iran would present a peace initiative at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, though he gave few details.