TEHRAN: Iran’s defence minister poured scorn Saturday on US Secretary of State John Kerry’s accusations that Tehran is “destabilising” the Middle East, countering that America should get out of the region.
The broadside illustrated new tension between Iran and the United States, despite last year’s nuclear deal, with contrasting stances on the conflicts in Yemen and Syria underpinning the latest barbs.
If the US seeks “stability” it should “leave the region and stop supporting terrorists,” Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan said, quoted by the website of state television.
The reaction came after Kerry speaking on a visit to Bahrain on Thursday condemned “the destabilising actions of Iran,” noting that the United States was taking Tehran’s actions “very seriously”.
But Dehghan denounced Kerry’s remarks as a sign of “frustration” at “Iran’s defence capabilities”, charging that it is the US that is intervening in the Middle East on account of massive arms sales.
“Americans have made countries in the region dependent on them through sale of weapons and suggesting that implementing US policies are a must for their survival”.
