Jordan PM: Amman Never Considers Iran As A Source of Threats, Seeks Amicable Bilateral Relations

By Staff, Agencies

Jordanian Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh says his country is interested in the enhancement of cordial and friendly relations with Iran and has never viewed the Islamic Republic as a threat to its national security.

Khasawneh said in an interview with BBC Arabic television news network that Amman is open to “healthy relations” with the Islamic Republic.

“We have never looked at Iran as a source of threats to our national security,” he said during the interview, which was broadcast on Sunday evening.

The Jordanian prime minister also described Amman’s relationship with Saudi Arabia as historical.

Late last month, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Arab countries look for the promotion of diplomatic relations with Iran, roundly dismissing the existence of any talks on the formation of a NATO-like anti-Iran military alliance in the Middle East with the participation of the “Israeli” entity.

“There is no such proposal,” Safadi said in an interview with the Arabic-language al Jazeera television news network on June 28.

Safadi underscored that the issue was not on the agenda of US President Joe Biden’s Middle East trip, which would take him to occupied Palestine and Saudi Arabia.

The top Jordanian diplomat also rejected Western and “Israeli” media reports that Arab states and the Tel Aviv regime were planning to form a military alliance, with the help of the United States, to confront Iran.

Last week, sources familiar with the matter revealed that the US and the “Israeli” entity are seeking to lay the groundwork for the so-called security alliance with some regional Arab states to fight off what they call the threat from Iran.

Discussions on the plan are still at an early stage and have already met resistance from several Arab countries who refuse to do business with the “Israeli” entity, Reuters on Thursday quoted four sources as saying.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kan’ani said on Saturday that an increased presence of the United States in the Middle East will only foment insecurity in the region and help further spread terrorist activities.

“Any measure to pave the way for the increased presence and role of the United States in regional security mechanism will have no other outcome but insecurity, instability, and spread of terrorism across the region,” the Iranian spokesman said.