Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi says CIA Director Mike Pompeo’s anti-Tehran accusations are an example of the US' meddlesome policies.
"The repeating of such cheap accusations is solely aimed at establishing division among Muslim countries and nations in the region," said Qassemi early on Wednesday.
He added that Washington's policies in the Middle East are a serious threat to the interests of regional nations, and a major hindrance towards their coming together.
Qassemi also noted that the US plays a major role in the rise of extremism and instability in the region by supporting terrorist groups.
"Neighbors always come first in Iran's foreign policy," he said while stressing Tehran’s respect for its neighbor’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The foreign ministry spokesman's comments were made in response to remarks made by Pompeo during a BBC interview published late Monday.
In the interview, Pompeo tried to encourage Iranian people to rise up against the government, while also reiterating claims that Tehran was arming Yemen.
On Monday, Qassemi said the US allegations pertaining to Tehran supplying Yemen with missiles is the start of psychological warfare campaign with roots in Washington’s continuous policy failures in the region.
Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump addressed a lunch meeting with members of the United Nations Security Council, during which he accused Iran once again of destabilizing the Middle East and providing Yemen’s Houthi fighters with ballistic missiles.
On December 14, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley presented what she claimed to be "undeniable" evidence, including the allegedly recovered pieces of a Yemeni missile, saying it proved that Iran was violating international law by giving missiles to the Houthi fighters. The Houthis have been fighting back a Saudi-led aggression with allied Yemeni army troops and tribal fighters since March 2015.
- (ABNA)
