Terror fight must respect sovereignty of nations: Iran

Iran has underlined the need for respecting the sovereignty of nations in the fight against terrorism.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham on Saturday reaffirmed Iran’s opposition to all forms of terrorism and extremism, saying any act of tolerance toward terrorism and Takfiri violence will further encourage terrorists to commit inhumane crimes.

The Iranian official, however, said the campaign against terror should not undercut the national sovereignty of countries.

“Any type of campaign against terrorism must respect the basic principles of international law, especially the national sovereignty of governments, and undoubtedly any act that would undermine the national sovereignty of countries can, in fact, embolden terrorist groups in committing bestial crimes,” Afkham said.

She also said terrorism will not be uprooted unless terrorists were weaned off financial aid and arms supply.

The Iranian official made the comments against the backdrop of airstrikes conducted by the Turkish military against targets controlled by the Takfiri ISIL terrorists inside Syria as well as locations of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in northern Iraq.

Turkey’s attacks against the ISIL and PKK positions come in the wake of deadly violence in Turkey over the past week.

On July 20, at least 32 people were killed in a bomb attack in the Turkish town of Suruc, near the southern border with Syria. Turkish authorities blamed ISIL for the bombing.

Two days later, two Turkish policemen were killed in southeastern Turkey close to the Syrian border, with the PKK claiming responsibility for the attack. The militant group said it sought revenge for the Suruc attack.

Another policeman was also killed in the majority Kurdish city of Diyarbakir the next day.