According to a report by The Tehran Times, Iran's foreign minister has raised the threat of "all-out war" in the scenario that the US or Saudi attempts military strikes in Iran, and also said that Saudi Arabia would have to fight "to the last American soldier."

Javad Zarif told CNN that Iran had hoped to avoid conflict, adding that the country was willing to talk to its regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. But the possibility of a return to negotiations with the US would not happen unless Washington provided full sanctions relief as promised under the 2015 nuclear deal, Tehran's top diplomat said.
He reinforced the Iranian claim that it had nothing to do with the attacks on Saudi Arabia's oil installations. Zarif said Yemeni Houthis have already taken responsibility for the attack, adding that the 4-year long war with Saudi Arabia has sophisticated the Houthis to the point where they could destroy half of their enemy nation's energy supply.

US President Donald Trump has called on Pentagon officials to plan potential responses since the attack in Saudi Arabia. His Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has accused Iran of committing "an act of war", even as the Houthi government in Yemen has already claimed the attack. Trump tweeted that the US was "locked and loaded" but was waiting for Saudi Arabia's rulers to decide on a path forward.

When asked what the consequence of a US or Saudi military strike on Iran would be, Zarif said: "All-out war."

"I make a very serious statement about defending our country. I am making a very serious statement that we don't want to engage in a military confrontation," said Zarif. He added that a military response based on "deception" about the weekend attacks would cause "a lot of casualties."

"But we won't blink to defend our territory," he said.

The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, between the wealthy Baathist government of Iraq and the impoverished Islamic Republic of Iran has been called by some as the longest all-out war of the 20th century. Many ordinary Iranians, including women, were forced to take arms against invading Iraqi soldiers to defend their towns. In some locations, the Iraqi government is known to have used chemical weapons against Iranian civilians.