Iran blasts US spy chief's meddling remarks

EghtesadOnline: Spokesman for Iranian Foreign Ministry described the anti-Iran charges made by the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as 'inexcusable and inappropriate'.

News ID: ۷۴۴۷۹۶

31 January 2018

Mike Pompeo's baseless claim against Iran is 'a clear example of the US meddling and illegitimate policies,' Bahram Qasemi said on Wednesday in response to the CIA director's remarks about Iran's influential role in the region, IRNA reported.

US repeats such worthless words solely for sowing discord among the Muslim nations in the region, Qasemi said adding such claims also indicate continuation of Washington's excessive demands.

Despite what the American official wants to induce to others, it is only the US whose interfering presence in the region and around Iranian borders endangers regional countries' interests and creates hindrances to the nations' path to come closer to each other in order to end the conflicts and crises through dialogue, Qasemi said.

About Iran's foreign policy, the spokesman said cooperation with the neighbors is and will be Tehran's first priority.

Pursuing its non-interference principle, he added, Iran respects its neighbors' national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

'Security of the region is security of us,' Qasemi stressed.

Iran has already expressed readiness for further cooperation, mutual understanding, deep relations and peaceful coexistence with all neighboring countries in order to bring about security for all, he said adding the country has taken giant steps toward this end and raised 'constructive ideas' in this regard.

Undoubtedly, he said, the United States is the main culprit in creating instability, fanning extremism, increasing hostility and spreading terrorism in the region and accross the world.

The Iranian nation and the regional countries recognize the US as an aggressor and violator whose presence in the region has brought nothing but war, instability and insecurity, Qasemi said.