Iran to West: Stop backing terrorism

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast has called on the US and certain European countries to stop supporting terrorism.

“Western countries had better stop supporting terrorists instead of giving them shelter on their soil and strengthening them,” Mehmanparast said at his weekly press conference on Tuesday when asked about the recent Zahedan bombings.

On Thursday, two bombs were detonated in quick succession in front of the Zahedan Grand Mosque in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan. At least 27 people lost their lives and more than 100 others were injured in the incident.

Mehmanparast called on Western countries to provide an explanation as to why they back terrorist groups, for instance Jundallah, if they are really opposed to terrorism.

The Iranian spokesperson further added that Western support for terrorism breaches all principles that they claim to be advocating.

Calling Iran the biggest victim of terrorism, Mehmanparast said that serious work was needed to eradicate terrorism and extremism.

According to the Iranian spokesman, talks with Pakistan are on the agenda in order to come up with ways to counter terrorism.

Tehran has repeatedly called on Islamabad to stop terrorists from crossing into Iran as they carry out terrorist attacks in the country.

The Islamic Republic has blamed Thursday’s attack on the West, in particular the US, saying that the deadly attack was carried out under the auspices of the United States.

Tehran says it was earlier proved that the terrorist Jundallah group, which has carried out many terror attacks in Iran, had close links with the US government.

Despite the US denial of any links with the group, Jundallah leader, Abdolmalek Rigi, who was arrested in February and executed in June, said in his confessions that he had received financial support form the US government.

Although Jundallah has claimed responsibility for the blasts, analysts say the group is unlikely to have carried out the attack since it was effectively disbanded after Rigi was executed in Iran last month.

Extremist Wahhabis and Salafis trained by US intelligence agents in Pakistan are believed to have carried out the bombings.