Iran SNSC Secretary: Terrorism, Extremism, Foreign Presence Main Regional Threats

“The main factors threatening the Middle East are terrorism, extremism and the intrusion of foreign powers in the region,” Vice Admiral Shamkhani said, addressing the “2nd Session of Regional Security Dialogue with a Focus on Afghanistan” in Tehran on Wednesday.

“Unfortunately, our region is still grappled with disasters, such as terrorism and extremism, which have severely undermined the peace and security of the people; therefore, the best way to deal with the issue is to increase cooperation among regional countries to better identify the real roots of such threats in a bid to obviate them properly,” he added.

The Regional Security Dialogue with a Focus on Afghanistan kicked off in Tehran on Wednesday.

The national security advisers and secretaries of Russia, China, India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are taking part at the session.

The first session of Regional Security Dialogue was held in October last year, with the participation of Iran, Russia, China, India, and Afghanistan. The session focused on increasing coordination among regional countries in the fight against terrorism.