Larijani Urges Intelligence Cooperation for Regional Security, Says US Policies Entail Trouble for Others

TEHRAN– Iran’s parliament speaker lambasted the US national security strategy for containing flaws, accusations and miscalculations, saying Washington’s international policies involve trouble for other countries.

Addressing an evening session of a counterterrorism meeting in Islamabad on Sunday, Ali Larijani said the United States of America is making trouble for other countries, including Middle Eastern states, Tasnim News Agency reported.

Washington believes in political and economic infiltration into other nations, and seeks to implement its troublemaking strategy in the world, the Iranian speaker deplored, denouncing the National Security Strategy of the US that the White House has released recently.

 Larijani further hit back at the US for accusing other countries of trying to acquire weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), saying the US itself is in possession of the biggest number of WMDs and pretends to be caring about a ban on such weapons.

Larijani has joined his counterparts from Pakistan, Russia, China, Turkey and Afghanistan in Islamabad for a two-day meeting to discuss and address the challenges of terrorism and inter-regional connectivity.

The idea to hold such a gathering was put forward by Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Sardar Ayaz Sadiq during the 2nd meeting of the Eurasian Parliaments’ Speakers in Seoul, back in June, according to Pakistani sources.

Intelligence Cooperation for Regional Security Stressed

Earlier, Larijani called for closer intelligence cooperation among regional countries in the fight against terrorism, proposing that the countries attending a counterterrorism conference in Pakistan should set up a committee to share intelligence.

Addressing the six-party conference on the threat of terrorism, held in Islamabad on Sunday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani called on his counterparts from Pakistan, Russia, China, Turkey and Afghanistan to attach more significance to interaction among their intelligence organizations and data sharing.

He also proposed the idea of formation of a special committee to coordinate counterterrorism efforts and share intelligence data to ensure regional security.

Larijani Denounced the Western so-called anti-terror military coalition for its ineffectual war against terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.

Terrorist activities would die down only when schools promoting Takfiri ideologies are closed, he added, saying Wahhabism has resorted to baseless and wrong teachings in the name of Islam to justify massacre of innocent people.

Iran has always called for concerted action by the regional countries in the fight against terrorism, and has launched security and intelligence cooperation with its neighbors to counter terrorist operations, particularly along border areas.

Claim of Iran military aid to Yemen, new US game in Mideast: Larijani

In a meeting with Chairman of Russia’s State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Sunday, Larijani once again dismissed the US claim about the Islamic Republic’s military assistance to Yemen, saying Washington is playing a new game in the Middle East, according to Press TV.

“Russia is a friendly country of Iran and knows well that we have not given any missile to Yemen,” Larijani said on Sunday, adding that the United States sought new adventurism in the region through such claims.

A Saudi Arabian-led coalition launched a war against Yemen in 2015 and has ever since been indiscriminately hitting targets in the country. Yemeni Houthi fighters have been firing missiles in retaliatory attacks against Saudi targets every now and then.

On November 4, a missile fired from Yemen targeted King Khalid International Airport near Riyadh, reaching the Saudi capital for the first time.

Elsewhere in the meeting, Larijani stressed the importance of strengthening Iran-Russia cooperation on regional issues, including the crisis in Syria.

He warned that some countries sought to abuse the recent great achievements made in Syria in the fight against Daesh terrorist group to serve their own interests and called for vigilance in the face of such plots.

 American forces’ presence in Raqqah has adverse effect on battle against terrorists

The top Iranian parliamentarian emphasized that the presence of American forces in the northern Syrian city of Raqqah, which used to serve as the main Daesh stronghold in the country, had an adverse effect on the battle against terrorists, emphasizing that it was imperative to discuss the US presence in the region.

US seeks to exploit Syria’s achievements: Volodin

The Duma chairman, for his part, said the US sought to exploit the great achievements in Syria as a means to serve its own interests, adding that Washington had never participated in any meeting aimed at putting an end to the crisis in the Arab country.

Volodin criticized Washington’s double-standard policies vis-a-vis regional countries and said US officials always adopted a harsh stance against any idea they opposed.

He added that a high-ranking delegation consisting of Russian business people will visit Iran next year, expressing hope that the visit will be followed by favorable results for both countries.

H.M