Syria violence can spread to Europe, US: Zarif

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has warned that the sectarian violence in Syria may spill over to Europe and the US.

At a Friday press conference with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu in Istanbul, Zarif noted that the danger of the ongoing sectarian conflict in Syria is graver than the threat of chemical weapons stockpile in the country.

He warned that the ramifications of the sectarian violence in the Middle East can spread to “London, New York, Madrid and Rome.”

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies, especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey, are supporting the militants operating inside the country.

Referring to the issues regarding Tehran’s nuclear energy program, Zarif noted that the Islamic Republic is seeking to remove all pretexts for the sanctions imposed against Iran in the nuclear talks with the six major world powers.

“Through dialogue, we try to eliminate any pretext for the sanctions,” he said.

The Iranian foreign minister noted that Tehran aims to find a framework to remove the pretexts. He also said that the anti-Iran sanctions only strengthen the resolve of the Iranian nation.

“It is necessary for both sides involved in the sanctions to think of a solution than to conjure up ways to exert pressure on the public,” Zarif stated.

On Thursday, Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, China, Russia, France and Britain – plus Germany wrapped up their expert-level negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy program at the United Nations office in the Austrian capital, Vienna.

The two sides wrapped up two days of talks, which Zarif described as “extensive” and “fruitful”, in Geneva on October 16.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, who represents the six countries in the talks, also hailed the nuclear talks as the “most detailed” and “substantive” ever held between the two sides.

Iran and the six major world powers have agreed to meet again in Geneva on November 7-8.

The US, Israel, and some of their allies have repeatedly accused Iran of pursuing non-civilian objectives in its nuclear energy program, with the US and the European Union having used the pretext to impose illegal sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.