- Iranians holding Ashura mourning for Imam Hussein
- Third step: Iran officially informs EU of plan to expand nuclear R&D
- Iran expands nuclear R&D program: Rouhani
- Iran goes ahead in space tech, despite US sanctions: ISA
- Resistance Front undermining Israeli regime power: Top commander
- Iran: 7 crew members of detained UK ship freed
- US addiction to sanction threaten its power: Iran’s Zarif
- Dutch role in 2007 Stuxnet attack on Iran’s nuclear site under scrutiny: Iraian FM Spox.
- Iran: ‘Sustainable Security 2019’ kicks off in Caspian Sea
- Iran’s Zarif leaves Tehran for Moscow
- Shiraz University ranked 1st in liver transplantation: Iranian health official
- Japan’s Abe to meet Iran’s president to discuss easing tension in region
- Downing of US spy drone shattered war threats against Iran: Top IRGC commander
- IAEO head reports development of first ion-therapy hospital in west of Asia
- Iranian Taekwondo team wins 2019 World Cup championship
- US sanctions failed to force Iran to buckle: Report
- Crew fixing Iran oil tanker broken down in Red Sea
- As Iranians hold nerves, US seeks to scare off trade
- Leader expresses concern about Kashmir, urges India to follow fair policy toward Muslim-majority region
- Iran saffron exports down due to smuggling, government restrictions: Exporter
- Iran FM warns US against ‘serious miscalculation’ in Persian Gulf
- Iran’s resistance policy led to release of oil tanker: MP
- Iran in reverse brain drain as top students come home in rising numbers
- Iran official calls for compensation for tanker seizure
- Iran hails N Korea for standing against ‘unilateral’ US demands
- Shia Muslims celebrate Eid Al-Ghadir
- North Korea praises Iran’s anti-US struggle
- Zarif says to meet French president Friday
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- IME trade ups by 21 percent in July
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- US anti-Iran policy in high seas harms Europeans: LA Times
- Iran, China confer on Syria
- Iran, Finland share views on Persian Gulf dialogue forum: Zarif
- Iran warns US against seizure of oil tanker
- Iraq eager to benefit from Iranian Police’s experience
- Iran planning 3rd step to reduce nuclear commitments: Spokesman
- Leader grants clemency to over 1,000 Iranian inmates
- Registration for Arbaeen Pilgrimage to begin in Iran on Friday
- Iran, Iraq agree to reopen Khosravi border crossing
- Iran deplores suicide attack at Kabul wedding hall
- Iran to hold int'l hand-woven carpets expo
- Zarif meets with Iran-Kuwait Friendship Group members
- Adrian Darya oil tanker not under any sanctions, says Iran envoy
- ‘Iran to stay in nuclear deal as long as its interests are met’
- India envoy happy with positive trend of trade with Iran
- Iran’s annual export of white meat tops 2.5m tons: Minister
- Iranian scientist discovers new state of matter
- Iran, Japan diplomats discuss bilateral ties
- Iran, Ansarullah, European representatives Yemen developments
- ‘Iran to become self-sufficient in producing aircraft engines'
- US issues seizure warrant for Iranian supertanker 'Grace 1'
- Neanderthal tooth unearthed near Iran’s Zagros mountain
- Iran’s Zarif due in Kuwait on Saturday
- US faces humiliating defeat after Gibraltar releases Iranian tanker: Envoy
- Spokesman rejects claim on Iran’s commitment in exchange for tanker release
- Zarif reacts to release of Iranian tanker in Gibraltar
- Israel, UAE engaged in secret talks on Iran arranged by US: Report
- US threatens visa ban as Iranian-operated tanker sets to sail from Gibraltar
- Enemies must factor Iran's global power in their calculations: IRGC's chief commander
- Trump’s administration conflicting messages to Iran baffle go-betweens: Report
- Gibraltar releases Iran-operated tanker despite US pressure
TEHRAN, September 12 -Iran has rejected as “provocative and irresponsible” US accusations regarding the recent unrest in the Iraqi city of Basra, saying Washington cannot cover up its involvement in fomenting tension in Iraq by blaming others.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -“The US administration's policies to create tension, its meddlesome measures and aggressive interference are the main reason behind instability, insecurity, tension and division in the region, and the policies of this country in Iraq have led to nothing but insecurity and instability,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Wednesday.
He added that the recent unrest in Iraq, including the attack on Iran’s consulate in Basra, was the outcome of the US’s policies and its “unwise and short-sighted policy, either covert or overt, to support groups promoting and spreading violence and extremism.”
The remarks came in response to a recent statement by the White House press secretary that blamed Iran for the recent wave of violence in Basra. It also accused Iran of not preventing attacks in recent days on the US consulate in Basra and the American embassy compound in Baghdad.
Qassemi said the US claims “lacked credibility” and were “astonishing, provocative and irresponsible.”
He said “the US government must be held accountable for its years-long support for the [terrors] groups in the region and issuing such suspicious statements that put blame on others… cannot reduce their (Americans’) burden of responsibility for creating tension and attacking diplomatic sites and state buildings in that country and other parts of the world.”
He added that Washington cannot cover the consequences of its “wrong, fruitless and destabilizing” policies through playing “gauche” blame games.
Protests broke out in Basra early this month over alleged corruption and government neglect and later turned into deadly violence in the oil-rich city.
In the course of the protests, the Iranian consulate in Basra was stormed, with attackers setting the building ablaze in their brutal raid, causing serious financial damage.
On Friday, three mortar shells also struck the ultra-secure green zone in Baghdad, which houses Iraqi authorities and the US embassy. Unknown assailants also hit the perimeter of the airport in Basra on Saturday, although no damage or casualties were reported. The US consulate is adjacent to the airport.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Qassemi reaffirmed Iran’s policy to contribute to promotion of peace, stability and security in regional countries. He said the Islamic Republic advocates a secure and developed Iraq, noting that plots by third parties will fail to undermine Iraq-Iraq relations.
The US invaded Iraq in 2003 under the banner of "war on terror" two years after invading Afghanistan under the same pretext. The deployment was followed by rampant violence and chaos, which set the stage for the rise of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in 2014.
Source: Press TV
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