Iran has rejected the annual reports by US Department of State on terrorism, saying the United States is responsible for the endurance of this scourge in the region and across the world.
“Based on its policy on using terrorism as a means,…the US is still responsible for the durability of the ominous phenomenon of terrorism in the world, particularly in the Middle East, and it should be held accountable for violent behavior and measures by these groups,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Sunday.
In its annual Country Reports on Terrorism released on September 19, the State Department claimed that Iran remains the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism and is responsible for intensifying multiple conflicts and undermining US interests in Syria, in Yemen, in Iraq, in Bahrain, in Afghanistan, and in Lebanon.
It also claimed that the threats posed by Iran’s support for terrorism are not confined to the Middle East; they are truly global.
Qassemi further pointed to a bloody terrorist attack in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz on Saturday and said the US made the baseless allegations against Iran while the Islamic Republic is one of the main victims of acts of terror by terrorist groups.
He added that some regimes such as the US have been overlooking this clear reality over the past four decades and are still considering support for extremist and terrorist groups as a tool to promote their own goals while chanting anti-terror slogans.
At least 25 people were killed and 60 others injured in the terrorist attack on a military parade in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, on Saturday.
The al-Ahwaziya terror group, whose recruits are believed to be scattered in several European countries, including in the Netherlands and Denmark, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The terror outfit, which is backed by Saudi Arabia, has a record of carrying out acts of sabotage in Iran’s Khuzestan Province, which encompasses Ahvaz and some other dominantly Arab cities.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Saturday the terrorist attack in Ahvaz was the continuation of plots hatched by US stooges in the region to create insecurity in the country, adding that Iran’s intelligence services must swiftly find the accomplices of the “criminals” behind the attack and put them on trial.
The Leader said the “tragic and sorrowful” incident in Ahvaz and the killing of people by mercenary terrorists once again exposed the cruelty of the enemies of the Iranian nation.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said on Saturday that the Islamic Republic would give a “crushing” response to the slightest threat against the country.
In a statement on Sunday, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the terrorists behind the bloody attack in Ahvaz will definitely face “deadly and unforgettable” revenge in the near future.
The Iranian spokesperson further emphasized that the policy of different US governments have for many years been based on creating and strengthening terrorist groups with the purpose of advancing Washington's macro strategies.
Qassemi added that releasing such annual reports by the US is nothing but a blame-game move aimed at leveling accusations against others.