News / Politics

Tehran rejects UK’s anti-Iran claims as 'unrealistic'

Wednesday, 31 August 2016 4:26 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 31 August 2016 5:24 PM ]

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi

Iran has rejected allegations made by the UK that Tehran is fomenting tension in the Middle East, reaffirming the Islamic Republic’s steadfast policy to fight terrorism and contribute to peace.

In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, a UK Foreign Office spokesman accused Iran of "fostering instability in the Middle East," including in Syria.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Bahram Qassemi, described the remarks by the UK official as “unrealistic and improper,” saying "Britain is expected to be "well aware of Iran’s place in the Middle East and the situation in the region."

“As a victim of terrorism, Iran has always been in the forefront of the fight against extremism and terrorism,” he added.

Qassemi went on to say that Iran has never categorized "the ominous phenomenon" of terrorism into good or bad types, adding that the Islamic Republic would remain steadfast in fighting terrorism.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is doing its utmost to help [establish] peace, stability and security in the region," Qassemi noted, adding that "Iran has an advisory presence in Syria at the request of the legal government” of Syria.

The Iranian official called on Western countries to avoid paying lip service to fighting terrorism and take practical measures instead.

Iran has been providing advisory assistance to Syria upon a request by the Damascus government to help the Arab country in the fight against terrorism.

Syria has been hit by foreign-backed militancy for more than five years.

According to United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, more than 400,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the conflict in the Arab country.

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