Fighting terror is West pretext for intervention: Iranian official

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said on Sunday that fighting terrorism must not serve as a pretext for Western interference in the region.

The senior official also said that the international coalition against terrorism will succeed only if it takes into account the interests and concerns of regional states.

“Any regional and international coalition under the pretext of fighting terrorism without considering the regional countries’ interests and political and security considerations is doomed to failure,” he added.

Shamkhani added the presence of the United States and some Western countries in the region has resulted in the escalation of insecurity and the emergence of new terrorist groups.

He further noted that Western governments are not sincere in their anti-terrorism campaign as it is evident by their measures and stance regarding the current developments in Iraq.

Shamkhani also dismissed allegations over the cooperation between Iran and the US against terrorism in Iraq, saying the nature of Iran’s anti-terrorism campaign is not similar to that of the US.

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