News / Interviews

Iran plays major role in solving Mideast problems: Activist

Saturday, 22 October 2016 5:56 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 22 October 2016 5:58 PM ]

Iraqi forces fire mortar shells towards positions of Daesh terrorists on October 21, 2016, on the frontline on the outskirts of Qayyarah, about 30 kilometres south of Mosul. (Photo by AFP)

Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has said supporting legitimate regional governments and oppressed people including the Syrians and Iraqis constitutes an absolute policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

A human rights activist told Press TV that Iran is a major player in the Middle East, adding that it is a mistake to prevent it from having a role in solving the problems of the region.

“It [Iran] has got a lot of ties and connections. The reason [is that] they have got certainly strong connections to the Shia community in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, also Lebanon. They are a legitimate regional voice,” said Edward Corrigan.

He also stated part of the problems in the Middle East is that most of the countries are “very fragile” due to ethnic and religious minorities which can be exploited by external powers who want to cause problems in the region.

He went on to say the external powers have been supporting the terrorist groups in Iraq with the goal of destabilizing the country and creating a failed state in order to exploit the resources of the region.

The activist further argued the Middle Eastern countries should come together and work out the differences because playing sectarian games would only leave them open to be attacked and exploited by outside parties.

“And the West has done this for decades if not centuries and they have become very good at exploiting the differences within the various Middle East countries. Of course I think they were designed with the intent that they were unstable and easy to control and you could manipulate groups against the central power if it was in your interest,” he said.

Gruesome violence has plagued the northern and western parts of Iraq ever since the Daesh Takfiri terrorists launched an offensive in June 2014, and took control of portions of Iraqi territory.

The Daesh terror group has also been wreaking havoc in Syria. The United States and its regional allies - especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - have been supporting the militants operating inside Syria since the beginning of the crisis in 2011.

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