Spokesman Blasts US Spy Chief's Meddling Remarks against Iran

Rasa - Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi slammed the recent anti-Iran and meddling remarks by Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Mike Pompeo.

News ID: 436180

Date: 31 January 2018 - 19:34

RNA - "Pompeo's baseless claims against Iran are a clear example of the US meddling and illegitimate policies," Qasemi said on Wednesday in response to the CIA director's remarks about Iran's influential role in the region.

The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman reiterated that Iran has prioritized its neighboring countries in its foreign policy agenda, and said, "Iran respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all its neighbors, based on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries."

Qassemi, meantime, voiced Iran’s readiness for further cooperation with the neighboring countries aimed at gaining a deeper mutual understanding, promoting peaceful coexistence, achieving collective security, and cementing friendly ties.

"Contrary to what the CIA director is trying to imply, it is the destabilizing and meddling presence of the US in the region and around the Iranian borders which is not only a threat to the interests of all regional countries, but also a major hindrance to their coming together and a chance to settle their disputes and differences through diplomacy and dialogues,” he added.

The Iranian foreign minister underlined that the people of Iran and all other nations in the Middle East see the US as an aggressor whose presence in the region, as well as the covert and overt support for terrorist groups and occupiers, have brought them nothing but war, instability and insecurity.

In relevant remarks on Monday, Iranian Supreme Leader's top aide for international affairs Ali Akbar Velayati blasted US President Donald Trump for his anti-Iran rhetoric and trying to hatch further plots against the country, and said Washington's Iranophobia scenario will get nowhere.

"Washington will never achieve any success in its puppetry against Tehran," Velayati said on Monday.

He underlined that the US officials directly accuse Iran of meddling in Yemen while they are indirectly denying the bravery, resistance and self-sacrifice of the Yemeni nation.

Velayati said the Yemeni people have so far succeeded in defeating the Saudi-led coalition and the United Arab Emirates.

On December 14, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley presented what she claimed to have "undeniable" evidence, including the allegedly recovered pieces of a Yemeni missile, saying it proved that Iran was violating international law by giving missiles to the Ansarullah movement. The Ansarullah has been fighting back a Saudi-led aggression with allied Yemeni army troops and tribal fighters since March 2015.

A few days later, she said that the UN Security Council could strengthen the provisions in Resolution 2231, which was approved in July 2015 to endorse the multilateral nuclear deal with Iran, or adopt a new resolution banning Tehran from all activities related to ballistic missiles.

Velayati made the remarks a day after Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said US President Donald Trump's efforts to demonize Iran by accusing the Islamic Republic of supplying ballistic missiles to Yemen’s Ansarullah fighters was futile and an example of "beating the air."

"Trump is making desperate efforts to portray a negative image of the Islamic Republic of Iran and I believe these measures are [like] beating the air," Boroujerdi said.

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