US playing with terrorism, rather than fighting: Iran’s Larijani

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has accused the US of playing with terrorism instead of fighting the scourge, calling for increased pressure against the promoters and sponsors of terrorist ideology.

Larijani made the remarks in an address to the second meeting of parliament speakers of Eurasian countries in the South Korean capital, Seoul, on Tuesday.

“In fact, the US strategy is playing with terrorism, not fighting it,” he said, calling on Eurasian states to “increase the costs for those promoting the ideology of terrorism and their sponsors in propaganda, political and security fields.”

He said the US and some regional states claim to be fighting terrorism, but “it is clear to everyone that they are in fact supporting the terrorists in different ways.”

Larijani also expressed dismay that “terrorism and violent extremism have turned into a devastating global threat endangering international peace and security.”

Terrorism has left thousands of defenseless people dead or wounded and made millions displaced in countries such as Syria, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen, he pointed out.

The Iranian parliament speaker further touched on the “shameful crimes” committed by terrorist groups such as Daesh, citing the twin terrorist attacks in Tehran as an example.

On June 7, gunmen mounted almost simultaneous assaults on Iran’s Parliament and the Mausoleum of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Khomeini. Daesh claimed responsibility for the assaults, which killed 18 people and injured over 50 others.

Elsewhere in his comments, Larijani said the Syria crisis has deepened due to foreign interference.

Iran supports the Syrian government’s measures in its fight against terror outfits and stresses the Arab nation’s role in determining the country's political structure, he said.

The officials also noted that coordinated efforts by Iran, Russia and Turkey within the framework of the peace process in Astana have helped reduce violence and establish a ceasefire in Syria.

Additionally, he emphasized that the Saudi aggression against Yemen has created a human tragedy in the impoverished Arabian Peninsula state.

The political and military support of some world powers for the Saudi aggression has prolonged the Yemen conflict and increased civilian casualties there, Larijani said.

The Islamic Republic believes that the military strategy in Yemen is useless and urges a halt to clashes as well as the resumption of intra-Yemeni talks.

Referring to a recent bill approved by the US Senate to impose economic sanctions on Iran and Russia, Larijani said such measures are against US commitments under international law on non-interference in domestic and international affairs of other countries.

He also underlined the need for taking retaliatory measures by the two countries’ governments and parliaments to foil the bans and prevent such “arbitrary and coercive behavior.”

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