Iran: Israel source of all ME tensions

Iran has characterized Israel as the source of all tensions and crises in the Middle East region, calling the Israeli regime as the “enemy” of all Muslims and regional states.

“The Israeli regime that is illegally continuing its atrocities in the region is the enemy of Islamic and regional countries,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

“All regional states know that the Israeli regime is the source of all crises, tensions and atrocities in the Middle East region,” he went on to add.

Mehmanparast’s comments come at a time when Israeli President Shimon Peres had accused Iran of struggling for power and hegemony in the Middle East.

“The Middle East is in the midst of a power struggle between Iran and the Arab world. Israel has an interest to see the Arabs win this battle,” Peres said during a convention in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

“The statements of Israeli officials are not worth a response. Fomenting discord between Iran and Arab states is part of the regime’s foreign policy,” Mehmanparast told reporters at the conference.

The Iranian foreign ministry official urged regional states to put unity on the agenda and prevent the Israeli regime from creating tensions and discord among Muslim countries.

Meanwhile, the Iranian spokesman took aim at Japan’s unilateral sanctions over Iran’s nuclear program, calling the move as counterproductive.

He noted that the imposed sanctions were passed against Iran “not due to any crimes whatsoever, but for the country’s efforts to benefit from its rights under the framework of the IAEA.”