Tehran says regional stability depends on US military exit

Ali Bagheri, Iran’s Deputy Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council for Foreign Policy and International Security, said the Middle East would become “the most stable and best place in the world” if the United States withdrew its military presence from the region.

Bagheri argued that Iran has no fundamental disputes with neighboring countries and blamed regional instability on the influence of the United States and Israel, Tasnim reports.

“If the U.S. and its military bases leave the region and the Zionists no longer play a role in regional affairs, the region will enjoy stability, security, and peace, creating the conditions for development and progress for all countries,” Bagheri said.

The Iranian official also referred to what he described as recent military aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran. According to Bagheri, Washington carried out strikes on Iranian targets while diplomatic negotiations with Tehran were still ongoing and used military facilities in the region during the operations.

Commenting on reported Iran-U.S. negotiations mediated by Pakistan, Bagheri said the future of diplomacy would depend on Washington abandoning what he called its “excessive demands.”

“The path forward can only succeed if the Americans stop pursuing excessive demands,” he stated.

By Vafa Guliyeva