Zarif: US Closest Allies Refuse Trump’s Policies
Local Editor
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said even the staunchest allies of the US voiced their opposition to US President Donald Trump's policies on the 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA], and Washington's possible withdrawal from it.
Zarif made his remarks as he briefed reporters upon his arrival in the South African capital city of Pretoria on Sunday.
"The policies of the Trump administration are isolated in the world and it can be witnessed in all parts of the world that even the closest US allies have in fact stood up against Trump's anti-JCPOA policies ... and have adopted clear stances in this regard," Zarif added.
He then pointed to US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's recent visit to Saudi Arabia and said, "Unfortunately, the Americans do not want to rectify their viewpoint [and understand] that Iran is a source of stability and peace as well as a campaigner against terrorism in the region."
Zarif emphasized that Daesh [the Arabic acronym for terrorist ‘ISIS/ISIL' group] would have formed an established government in Damascus, Baghdad and Erbil if Iranian military advisors, who are assisting the Syrian and Iraqi armies in their counter-terrorism operations, had not helped those countries.
The Iranian foreign minister expressed regret that US allies have been the root cause of instability and crisis in the region and said the Americans and world people are becoming aware of the fact that the wrong US approaches have greatly backfired on Washington itself.
Zarif urged US politicians to "correct their wrong views as soon as possible and stop supporting Saudi Arabia in killing Yemeni children and the elderly" to prevent more damage to the region.
Iran's foreign minister's remarks came after Tillerson said in Riyadh on Sunday that "Iranian militias" in Iraq should leave the country now that the fight against Daesh is coming to a close.
Iran has been providing military advisory support to Syria as well as Iraq in their campaign against terrorism at the request of the two countries' governments.
It was earlier on October 13 that Trump refused to formally certify that Iran was complying with the 2015 nuclear deal and warned that he might ultimately terminate the agreement.
While Trump did not pull Washington out of the JCPOA, he gave the US Congress 60 days to decide whether to re-impose economic sanctions against Tehran that were lifted under the pact. Re-imposing sanctions would put the US at odds with other signatories to the accord and the European Union.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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