Zarif: Obama’s Anti-Iran Remarks Meant to Appease Regional Allies

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif blasted the recent statements by US President Barack Obama against Iran, saying he is trying to please Washington’s allies in the region.
Zarif’s remarks came in reaction to Obama’s statements prior to his meeting with the leaders of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC) who called “Iran sponsor of terrorism in the region”, and said, “The meetings (with PGCC member-states) will be an opportunity to ensure that our countries are working closely to counter Iran’s destabilizing behavior across the Middle East.”

“The US has resorted to projecting blames on others in order to appease its regional allies,” the Arabic-language Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper quoted Zarif as saying on Wednesday.

“The US president’s statements are merely a repetition of his previous unfunded accusations to appease his allies,” the Iranian foreign minister added.

Zarif underlined that such accusations have repeatedly proved to bear no value, and said, “Our policies in the region are based on consolidating friendship and cooperation as well as conducting responsible acts to reinforce stability and guarantee regional security.”

In relevant remarks yesterday, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham rejected the US Secretary of State John Kerry’s accusations that Tehran is seeking to destabilize the region, stressing that foreign meddling is destabilizing the region.

“The allegations of certain US officials about what they call ‘Iran’s destabilizing acts in the region’ are completely rejected,” Afkham said.

“Instability in the region is rooted in the foreign interference in the region’s affairs and this (foreign meddling) threatens security and stability and prevents deep cooperation and strong and constructive interaction based on mutual interests among the regional states,” she added.

Afkham underlined that the US support for Saudi Arabia’s invasion of Yemen and ignoring the massacre of innocent women and children as well as imposing a siege on the poor Arab country are all instances of Washington’s illegal interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

She blasted the US double-standard approach to the terrorist groups, and said, “Supporting the governments which are considered as the main financial and intelligence backers of these groups has created instability and insecurity.”

Her remarks came after Kerry spoke in the wake of reports that Iran had dispatched two naval ships, including a destroyer, to Bab al-Mandab Strait near Yemen.

“Iran needs to recognize that the United States is not going to stand by while the region is destabilized or while people engage in overt warfare across lines — international boundaries — in other countries,” Kerry told the PBS television on Wednesday.