Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Interviewed About the Tensions in the Middle East with Iran; Iranian Foreign Minister; Escalating Tension Not in Anybody's Interest
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: Are you tonight urging Washington to act with a degree of caution and restraint?</s>ANWAR GARGASH, UAE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: The onus is on Iran. The onus is on Iran.</s>ANDERSON: As the region roils, the UAE wants to rein in the rhetoric but insists the onus is on Iran. My interview with the minister of state for foreign affairs here in the Emirates. Also ahead this hour, a very different take on geopolitical crises.</s>GARGASH: We are currently investigating. We're collaborating with France and the United States and other friends are also offering their help. So in a few days we should know what took place, what transpired. Clearly this is a very, very serious incident because it affects maritime commerce. And it comes also at a very, very what I would call sensitive and difficult period in the region. So clearly, we all have an interest at this time in deescalating and dealing with things in a mature rational way.</s>ANDERSON: You're talk about deescalating the rhetoric with Iran at present.</s>GARGASH: Definitely. I think the whole situation is difficult. We are where we are largely because of Iranians -- Iran behavior. This is a behavior that is not new to the region. This is a behavior that has been basically compiling. And clearly right now the American sanctions on Iran are biting.</s>ANDERSON: Iran has said that the attack attacks on the vessels were an attempt by third parties, and I quote them here, to ratchet up tensions. Have you considered or investigated the possibility that these attacks are what's known as false flag operations. Attacks designed to implicate Iran and provoke a response from the U.S.?</s>GARGASH: No. I think to start with Iran's responses on many issues are contradictory. And this is part and parcel I think of the trust factor that affects Iranian politics. So I with five, six statements that contradict each other coming out from Iran. I can see that very, very clearly and I don't think that I will put much merit to these comments.</s>ANDERSON: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that he fundamentally doesn't want a war with Iran. But if provoked or if U.S. interests in the Middle East are attacked, they would respond. Are you tonight urging Washington to act with a degree of caution and restraint? We are seeing an escalation here.</s>GARGASH: The onus is on Iran. The onus is on Iran. Iran is the government that is responsible for where we are today. Iranian behavior over the last decade or two has led us to where we are today. There's very little trust in the region. I don't think the onus right now is mainly on Washington. I think it's on Iran.</s>ANDERSON: You talked a lot about what the Iranians should do. I wonder though what your position is so far on what Washington should do next? Certainly the U.S. and the Europeans at present are disunited. Does that worry you at present? And once again, I wonder whether this urging of caution should not be to Washington.</s>GARGASH: I think that the important thing is for the West to be more and more united. And I think it concerns us when we see that the West is speaking with different approaches. I think all these countries that you have mentioned agree that there is a problem with Iran's behavior. I think the disagreement is over the approach. I think there's agreement across the board that Iran has been a disruptive force.</s>ANDERSON: Well, that's the view of a strategic U.S. ally in this region. We're going to get the latest on the perspective in Tehran from Fred Pleitgen in a moment. One country that agrees with the analysis of Trump's closest advisors it seems is Britain. The Foreign Secretary says he is working closely with Washington. I want to get you to Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. And Barbara, much talk of infighting and disputes about whether or not these claims of an Iranian threat to U.S. assets in this region are exaggerated. Trump's policy advisors though getting support from Britain today. What are your sources telling you?</s>BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: The dilemma for U.S. intelligence is to see if it can make something public to show the world and show skeptics exactly why they believe exactly why the Pentagon believes that there is a military threat from Iran. Look, Iran has been, I think there's no question, a destabilizing force in the region. Their rhetoric is always pretty heavily anti-American, anti- Western over the years and they do move their weapons around. So the challenge now is what does this intelligence show that is different, that shows a different Iranian intention and capability. There is imagery of missiles on boats at sea. There is intercepts, communications intercepts and also threats the U.S. says against U.S. forces ashore. They say the bottom line is that Iran has shown the possibility that it's planning to attack American forces, but the U.S. is going to have to show that it is something very different that makes this such a threat. In the meantime the U.S. aircraft carrier strike group, U.S. B-52 bombers remain in the region and they are the message of deterrence to Iran from the Pentagon. Don't even try it, if you do, there will be very heavy U.S. military price to pay -- Becky.</s>ANDERSON: Fred, the UAE's top official in an interview with me that we've just aired says the onus is on Iran to ratchet down this rhetoric and change their malign behavior in the region. Any evidence that Tehran is prepared to listen to Abu Dhabi at this point?</s>FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I don't think at this point there is any sort of evidence that that's going to be the case. In fact, the Iranians, Becky, over the past couple of days have been quite consistently saying that they don't believe that they're the ones who have been escalating the situation. They say they believe that it's the U.S. who has been escalating the situation by the fact that they've done exactly what Barbara Starr was just saying. By putting the carrier strike group to this region at least moving it towards this region and also course, deploying those B-52 bombers as well. The Iranians for their part have been saying that they don't want all of this to continue to escalate. They believe that it's the U.S. that is the one that is making the situation worse. In fact, Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, he was actually in Japan earlier today. He spoke to Japan's foreign minister where he been reiterated that point once again. Let's listen to what he had to say.</s>MOHAMMAD JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: I believe that escalation of tension in the region is not in the interest of anybody, but Iran will not be the party beginning escalation. But we will certainly defend ourselves and respond to any threat against our national security.</s>PLEITGEN: So the Iranians are essentially saying that they believe the ones who are -- they believe they are the ones who have been showing restraint in the current situation. And of course speaking about that American military buildup that's going on. Then of course you have that whole complex of these possible back channel negotiations that people are talking about in Washington. The Iranians over the past couple of days, Becky, have been saying they're not interested at this point in negotiating with Washington. Iran's Supreme Leader he came out about a day and a half ago and he said under the current circumstances that's not going to happen. It's been quite interesting because the messaging coming out of Tehran has been pretty consistent on this matter. We've heard from the Foreign Minister, the President and the Supreme Leader as well, saying as long as America stays out of the JCPOA, there's not going to be any negotiations with Tehran -- Becky.</s>ANDERSON: Rather more bellicose language from those in the military and defense but perhaps that is unsurprising. To both of you very briefly then, Barbara, what happens next?</s>STARR: Oh well, you know we too have the President of the Swiss Federation at the White House today. President Trump perhaps making a reach out to see if the Swiss, who are the intermediary with Iran, can do something to reach out to them. I think Fred is right. I don't think that most people in the Trump administration in the national security arena genuinely believe that Iran is about to pick up the phone and dial the White House. For the U.S. military, it's keeping a watch on everything, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance is at a very high pace right now. You know, concern about making sure U.S. embassies and embassies of coalition partners also in the region are fully protected. The problem right now is, does the central government and Iran control all the militias, all the proxies under it. Could there be a miscalculation somewhere and something might flare up. I think that is a very deep concern.</s>ANDERSON: Is there a sort of received wisdom about what happens next amongst those 70 million who, lest we forget, live in Iran -- Fred?</s>PLEITGEN: Well, Becky, I think most of the folks that live here in this country certainly hope that essentially nothing happens next, that it doesn't come to some sort of escalation. I think one of the things that was very important over the past day and a half is the fact the Supreme Leader came out and said, look, fundamentally there's not going to be a war between the U.S. and Iran. Of course, you're absolutely right. The rhetoric on the part of some military leaders here in Tehran have been very different and somewhat more bellicose. But at the same time people obviously really do hope that the situation doesn't escalate. However, one always has to say that it doesn't mitigate the fundamental problem that many Iranians have at this point. Which is of course the fact that the economy here has been in a tailspin ever since the U.S. has left the nuclear agreement. That Iran can't sell its oil on world markets, companies can't invest here. And that's certainly an issue that is going to remain and is going to continue to fan the flames of these problems between the United States and Iran. Even if this crisis that's currently going on, people obviously hope that's going to pass without a shot being fired. At the same time, the fundamental problem of the fact that Iran is extremely isolated at the moment, that's not something that is going to go away and it certainly is something that weighs economically very heavy on pretty much everyone that currently lives in this country -- Becky. Joining the dots with your Tehran and Washington connections on what is this story with global resonance. To both of you, thank you. And do check out what our international diplomatic editor, Nic Robertson, has to say about all of this. And in particular about that reported tanker sabotage. Nic was down in Fujairah just after those attacks -- those a legend attacks -- and takes us through the damage and the finger pointing. That is at CNN.com. Well that's all the hard news you need to know for the time being. There is plenty more to come though this hour. But up next, we take a less serious look at it all.</s>MAZ JOBRANI, HOST, BACK TO SCHOOL WITH MAZ JOBRANI: I will do whatever it took to blend in. I would play baseball. I would eat apple pie. I would eat apple pie while playing baseball.</s>ANDERSON: That's right. Back in the house Iranian-American Maz Jobrani joins us. You see him there. Wave, sir. Maz joining us for a very different take on rising U.S. tensions with Iran. That up next.