Iranian military and political officials warn of efforts to spread “Iranophobia” in the region

As the United States is preparing to hold a conference in Warsaw as part of its upgraded anti-Iran strategy, Iranian officials, both political and military, warn of Washington’s plan to sell to the world “Iranophobia” as a new international discourse.

کد خبر: ۸۷۷۴۱۰

تاریخ: ۲۱ بهمن ۱۳۹۷ - ۲۳:۰۸

Tabnak – As the United States is preparing to hold a conference in Warsaw as part of its upgraded anti-Iran strategy, Iranian officials, both political and military, warn of Washington’s plan to sell to the world “Iranophobia” as a new international discourse.

In this vein, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri says enemies of the Islamic Republic have intensified their effort to spread Iranophobia with the purpose of signing arms deals with countries in the Middle East.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Iran's military chief added that the Islamic Republic has never had a covetous eye on any regional country over the past four decades, but has maintained advisory presence in regional countries that have been faced with terrorist attacks upon their request.

Iran's top military commander then noted that the country has been offering advisory assistance to the Syrian and Iraqi governments in the face of Takfiri terrorists, saying, "We will continue our presence in these countries as long as they want and will leave them whenever they do not want. This is contrary to what Americans do, who stay [in regional countries] with force despite opposition of people in those countries and then accuse the Islamic Republic [of interference in other countries' affairs]."

Elsewhere in his remarks, Baqeri pointed to recent statements by some European countries about Iran's missile and defensive capabilities and emphasized, "The defense power of the Islamic Republic of Iran, including [its] missile might, is not negotiable at all."

Meanwhile and in the same vein, a top Iranian foreign policy official has said that the United States and other big powers have always been seeking to instill fears in the Arab world about Iran’s growing influence only to make them more dependent on the West.

Kamal Kharrazi, who serves as the chair of Iran's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, said Saturday that it was a policy of Washington to try to distort Iran’s image in the eyes of the public in the Middle East so that it could justify its weapons deals with the governments in the region.

“The business of Iranophobia has been created just to impose their policy on some countries in the region and take their money in exchange of supporting for their security,” said Kharrazi, adding, “There are lots of investment in the region to provoke Iranopphobia and Americans especially are pushing for Iranophobia.”

It should be noted that on Feb. 13 and 14, Polish capital of Warsaw will host an anti-Iranian conference, organized by the United States and to be attended by some regional, as well as Western officials.

The United States initially put much effort into making the Warsaw meeting an anti-Iran platform but had to back away from many of its suppositions about the meeting because it was snubbed by most world officials.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the meeting last month, saying it would purportedly focus on the “important element of making sure that Iran is not a destabilizing influence.”

Later in the month, however, and as officials from various countries indicated their refusal to participate, US Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations Jonathan Cohen told the UN Security Council that the meeting was “not a venue to demonize or attack Iran,” in an apparent about-face.