US, vassal states fanning terrorism across region: Larijani

Iran’s Parliament speaker says the United States is seeking to fuel terrorism across the region through further interventionism and with the help of its vassal states.

There have been numerous instances of “unbridled” American meddling in the region, Ali Larijani warned during a speech at an international conference, dubbed “the Future of the Islamic World in the Horizon of 2035,” in Tehran on Sunday.

Larijani further said the actions taken by the US in cooperation with certain regional states in order to breed terrorism have created “internal complexities” in some countries and heavily damaged their economies.

Iran, however, “has never had a policy of aggression against any country on its agenda,” Larijani said.

Tehran, he added, has not even pursued a policy of reprisal against those committing such aggression against it and sought increased cooperation with those “who have realized their mistakes.”

He cited the example of Saudi Arabia, which had helped out former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during his 1980-88 deadly war on Iran.

Such support, Larijani added, was to the detriment of the kingdom itself, as a Saudi official once admitted, and saw Iraq under Saddam later launch attacks against Kuwait and parts of Saudi Arabia.

‘Iranians to make US regret its deeds’

Separately, the top legislator commented on the US policy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, pursued under President Donald Trump.

Trump has recently tightened oil sanctions against Iran and designated the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps a “foreign terrorist organization.”

Addressing Trump, Larijani said, “We’re going to make you regret [what you have done]. You are cutting your own throat with your own hands. Certainly, our resilience is going to make you regretful.”

The US left a multi-lateral nuclear deal with Iran in 2017 and began reimposing the sanctions that had been lifted under the historical accord, signed two years earlier. Last December, it started targeting Iran’s oil and banking sector with the bans, but offered waivers to major importers of the crude, fearing market instability.

But Washington has said that it will not be extending the waivers as of May 2.

“This person (the US president) reckons that he is farseeing and that his actions are to the United States’ benefit, but he cannot see beyond the end of his nose, and will make the world more distrustful of the US,” Larijani stated.

He stressed that the Iranian people would stand tall as they did during the Western-backed Iraqi war and prevented the country’s occupation. “They will stand tall again and keep on their path forward,” the official said.

‘Enemy backers to be dealt with’

Larijani also delivered a warning to those regional countries backing the US antagonism towards Iran.

Upon Washington’s announcement that it would be trying to reduce Iran’s oil exports to “zero,” Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they would make up for potential shortages of crude.

“Some of the region’s countries should pay close heed. Apparently, some of them cannot be reasoned with. We are going to settle our account with them,” he noted.

The official, however, emphasized that the Islamic Republic has not closed the door on negotiations with these states.

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