Iran FM Says Obama Threat Of Military Force Is Propaganda
By Iran Review
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says US President Barack Obama’s threat to use military force against Iran over the country’s peaceful nuclear program is only meant for propaganda purposes.
Ramin Mehmanparast said that Obama’s remarks in his annual State of the Union address were part of his election campaign ahead of the upcoming presidential polls in the United States.
He further stated that the US president’s hostile remarks towards Iran sought to cover up the failures of his presidency by diverting attention towards Iran.
During his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on January 24, Obama once again renewed threats against Iran, saying that Washington will maintain pressure on the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister also downplayed the new sanctions against the Islamic Republic’s oil sector, saying such measures follow the West’s decades of “inefficient” restrictions on the country.
“Imposition of sanctions in the past three decades has been inefficient and in line with the West’s pursuit of failed policy of Iranophobia in the region,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.
The Iranian official, however, stressed the “natural” need for Tehran to discuss the issue as a threat to regional security.
“Regarding the regional developments and some bilateral issues, negotiations and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and regional countries seems essential,” he stated.
Amir-Abdollahian explained that the talks and the neighbors’ awareness of Iran’s policies and approaches could highly help the regional nations see through the enemy schemes for sowing discord in the region.
He further denounced the foreign military presence in the Persian Gulf as a threat to lasting security in the region. He insisted that the strategic region needs to reach “full” stability through local forces.
