Israel, US, cause of Mideast extremism, says Iranian FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a visiting member of the Mexican government on Tuesday that the unrest in the Middle East stems from US and Israeli occupation.

“Extremism and terrorism in the Middle-East are rooted in the US and Zionist regime’s policies for occupying other countries,” Zarif told Senator Gabriela Cuevas Barron when the two met in Tehran, the semi-official Iranian Fars News Agency reported on Tuesday.

Iran and the US-led world powers are currently negotiating an accord that the world powers say is aimed to thwart Iran’s nuclear weapons drive. Israel argues that the terms are inadequate and that the deal will actually pave Iran’s way to the bomb.

Zarif also urged countries in the region to cooperate in the battle against jihadists.

According to the report, Barron described Iran as a friendly country with which Mexico is keen to develop its ties.

During their meeting Zarif suggested to that Barron that Tehran and Mexico City join forces in fighting drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime, Iranian Press TV reported.

In addition Zarif noted that the two countries can also cooperate in the automotive industry, aerospace, environment, oil, gas and renewable energies.

Iranian officials have in the past accused the US of being behind radical Islamic terror groups.

Last month Deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Massoud Jazzayeri said that the radical Sunni Islamic State group is “US state-sponsored terrorism” aimed at defaming Islam on behalf of the “Zionist regime.”

In April, the commander of Iran’s ground forces, Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, said the US had established the Islamic State, Boko Haram and al-Nusra Front groups to hurt Islam by pitting religious groups against one another.