Obama’s anti-Iran remarks meant to foment tension in Mideast: Afkham

Iran has dismissed recent allegations by US President Barack Obama that the Islamic Republic seeks to take advantage of instability in the Middle East.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is the source of stability and security in the unstable region of the Middle East and it seriously pursues and encourages political solutions and regional cooperation to counter violence and extremism,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on Saturday.

In an interview with the American magazine The Atlantic on Thursday, Obama said Iran seeks to exploit instability in the region, including Yemen.

Afkham said Obama’s remarks are part of an Iranophobic plot aimed at “fomenting regional crises and fueling division and hatred,” adding that historical facts bear testimony to Iran’s “constructive and peaceful role” in the region and the world.

The Iranian official also stated that the US president falsely accuses certain countries of being the source of instability, while the issue of Islamophobia has spread on an unprecedented level across the world including in the United States. Afkham called for the US government to address such issues as Islamophobia and the massacre of Muslims by Takfiri terrorist groups instead of making false allegations.

Obama’s allegations that Iran interferes in regional countries, including Yemen, come as Saudi Arabia, a close ally of Washington, has been pressing ahead with its military air raids against Yemen without a UN mandate since March 26.

The United Nations says that, since March 19, over 1,800 people have been killed and 7,330 injured due to the conflict in Yemen, which was exacerbated by the Saudi airstrikes.