German Claims on Tehran's Regional Role Dismissed

EghtesadOnline: Tehran rejected Germany's allegations about Iran's destabilization of the region, saying these are misplaced and trumped-up charges.

News ID: ۷۴۹۳۴۷

01 January 2020

"Germany is mistakenly and falsely accusing Iran of destabilizing the region, while turning a blind eye to America's illegal interventions that are the main cause of instability in West Asia," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi tweeted on Tuesday, ISNA reported.

Germany on Monday had urged Iran to end its regional policies, claiming that Iran-allied militia groups in Iraq are putting the stability of this country at risk, according to Financial Tribune.

"The increasing number of attacks by non-state militias is threatening the stability of #Iraq. Iran must end its policy of regional destabilization," the German Foreign Ministry posted on its Twitter account.

Mousavi said such approaches will cast doubt on Germany's claim about playing an effective role in ensuring peace and stability.

The remark was made following the United States' recent strikes on Iran-allied Kataib Hezbollah militia forces, carried out in response to the killing of a US civilian contractor in a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base blamed on the armed group.

Iran has noted that Kataib Hezbollah was among the forces that played an active part in the fight against the self-styled Islamic State, the same terrorist group that provided the US with a pretext to station military troops in the region.

Tehran considers the US presence as the main cause of insecurity in the region and calls for unity among Middle East states to establish peace.

It has proposed a plan dubbed “Hormuz Peace Endeavor” that invites all regional countries and the United Nations to work together toward this goal.

This would be an alternative to the US-les security coalition in the Persian Gulf that serves the purported aim of protecting shipping lines in the strategic waters.

Echoing US Views

Berlin appears to be echoing Washington's allegations about Iran's destabilizing role in the region.

The US holds Iran accountable for tensions in the volatile Middle East region, including the conflicts in Syria and Yemen, and assaults on vessels in the Persian Gulf.

It withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal last year, arguing that it did not address Iran's regional activities, besides other areas of dispute, and needed to be renegotiated.

Tehran denies involvement in any aggression in the region and rejects charges of supplying arms to neighboring countries, saying it only provides military advice to its allies.

Germany, one of the three European signatories to the deal along with France and Britain, has remained in the nuclear accord, maintaining that it is a platform for further discussions over differences and needs to be kept alive.

The three European countries are also the main stakeholders of the financial mechanism known as INSTEX (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) that aims to facilitate trade between Europe and Iran to circumvent US sanctions.

After the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, the remaining parties pledged to make up for its economic restrictions, but Europe's efforts have been to no avail so far, falling short of meeting Iran's demands after more than a year.