Iran urges intl. campaign against terrorism, extremism

An Iranian diplomat has warned of the threat of growing extremism and terrorism, urging a global campaign to put an end to the scourges.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that extremism and terrorism do not threaten the Middle East only, urging collective international cooperation against the threats.

The Iranian diplomat made the remarks in a meeting with Odile Saugues, a member of France’s National Assembly, in Tehran on Thursday.

He said that attempts by extremist and terrorist groups to change democratically-elected governments in the region are “dangerous” and need to stop.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran stresses the reinforcement of political and democratic trends based on public will in the region ,” Amir-Abdollahian added.

Commenting on the developments in Iraq, Amir-Abdollahian voiced Iran’s support for the political trend in the Arab country as well as Iraq’s territorial integrity and national unity.

The French lawmaker, for her part, expressed concern about growing extremism and terrorism in the Middle East, highlighting Iran’s instrumental role in promoting security and solving regional woes.

Over the past days, heavy clashes have been underway between Iraqi armed forces and Takfiri militants from the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who have threatened to spread their acts of violence to the capital Baghdad and other Iraqi cities.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has vowed that the country’s security forces will fully confront the terrorists.