America accused of hostile meddling, inciting Iranophobia

TEHRAN: Iran’s foreign ministry yesterday dismissed recent anti-Iran claims by US officials as “hostile and baseless”, the ministry’s website reported.

“The US president’s meddling, repetitive and baseless claims against Iran are aimed at Iranophobia and are in line with the US hostile policies against the Islamic republic, seeking to persuade regional countries to buy more arms from the US,” said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi.

“Unfortunately, some regional states are looking for the support of the superpowers instead of relying on their own nation and the potentials of regional co-operation,” he said, adding that this would lead to the destruction of the infrastructures of countries, including Syria and Yemen, by the terrorists.

Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said recent anti-Iran remarks by US President Donald Trump were aimed at “milking” Saudi Arabia.

Zarif tweeted: “Iran, fresh from real elections, attacked by @POTUS in that bastion of democracy & moderation. Foreign Policy or simply milking KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) of 480 billion US dollars?”

The Iranian remarks came after Trump called on countries in the region to isolate Iran, which, he said, had “fuelled the fires of sectarian conflict”.

On Sunday, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Massoud Jazayeri, objected to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urging a policy shift in Tehran during President Hassan Rouhani’s second term. The only way to peace in the Middle East was for the US to withdraw its forces from the region, Jazayeri said.