US Attack on Syria to Boost Extremism in Region: Iranian VP
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri slammed the US for its recent missile attack on a Syrian airbase, saying such moves will only provide the grounds for the growth of extremist and terrorist groups in the Middle East region.
Speaking at a meeting with visiting Hungarian Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjen in Tehran on Saturday evening, Jahangiri underlined that measures taken by some Western countries in the name of counter-terrorism does not ensure security either in their homeland or in the region.
“The move that the US made in Syria without permission from the United Nations is a dangerous act that can lead to the further strength of extremist and terrorist groups,” he noted.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Jahangiri praised relations between Tehran and Budapest as “age-old” and said cooperation with the European Union member states, Hungary in particular, has a special position in Iran’s foreign policy.
The Hungarian deputy prime minister, for his part, emphasized that his country is willing to promote political, cultural and economic relations with the Islamic Republic.
He also pointed to the US attack on Syria and said unfortunately, major powers use terrorism as a tool to implement their policies and the oppressed people are the main victims of such moves.
The US military attacked the Syrian government’s Shayrat Airfield near Homs with 59 tomahawk missiles on Friday.
Officially announcing the strike, US President Donald Trump claimed that the targeted airfield had launched the chemical attack on the rebel-held area in Idlib.
Earlier on Thursday, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said the country’s armed forces "did not and will not" use chemical weapons, even against extremist groups.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with various terrorist groups, including Daesh (also known as ISIS or ISIL), currently controlling parts of it.
