Hatami: US move shows its desperation
Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said the recent US decision to declare Beitul-moqaddas as the capital of Israel indicates that it has become desperate in the region. On December 6, Trump sparked international outrage by declaring that Washington was recognizing Beit-ulmoqaddas as the “capital” of Israel and that he had instructed his administration to begin the process of moving the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to the ancient city, IRNA reported.
In a telephone conversation on Tuesday, the Iranian defense minister told his Turkish counterpart, Nurettin Canikli, that the US decision to transfer its embassy is “an irresponsible approach that strengthens the occupation policy of the Zionist regime.”
Iran believes that the US made the decision after feeling that there was a rift among Muslim countries and that some Arab states have compromised with Israel, Hatami said.
Hatami said that Trump’s move was in fact meant to make up for Washington’s repeated policy failures in the region, particularly the collapse of Daesh in Iraq and Syria, the annulment of the referendum on the separation of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, as well as a decision by Lebanon’s Prime Minister Sa’ad al-hariri to rescind his resignation, which was announced in Saudi Arabia a month ago.
Defense ties
Hatami further praised defense cooperation between Tehran and Ankara, saying the collapse of Daesh terrorists in Iraq and Syria was a result of “regional cooperation and interactions between Iran, Turkey and Syria.”
The Iranian defense chief also called for the expansion of Tehran-ankara military cooperation.
Canikli highlighted the commonalities between Iran and Turkey, saying that recent developments necessitate further cooperation between the two countries.
He added that “no power can negatively impact the friendship and fraternity between the two nations.”
He slammed Trump’s announcement of Beit-ul-moqaddas as the Israeli “capital” as a blunder and said “the decision is not accepted by any Muslim in the world.”
Trump’s declaration has sent shock waves throughout the Muslim world, and even prompted warnings from Washington’s allies in the West that it would bring more chaos to the region.
Israel lays claim to the entire city as its “capital,” while Palestinians want its eastern part as the capital of their future state.