The United States of America should leave the Middle East in order to restore stability in that region, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Degan said today.
"If the Americans really care about stability in the region, then they should leave it and stop supporting terrorists," Degan told Iranian state television, reacting to US Secretary of State John Kerry's statement that Iran is carrying out actions that destabilize the Middle East.
Iranian officials accuse the US of supporting rebels in Syria, whose Tehran-backed regime considers all armed opposition groups terrorists.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday, during a meeting with the heads of diplomacy of the member states of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, that Iran is taking actions that destabilize the Middle East region.
He called on the Iranian authorities to prove to the world that Iran is ready to be a member of the international community committed to peace and stability, and that the country is expected to help end the war in Yemen and Syria.
Kerry specifically referred to Saudi Arabia's accusations that Iran is supporting Shiite rebels in Yemen.
Despite the nuclear deal between Iran and Western powers that came into force in January, easing international sanctions on Iran, Iran's developing ballistic missile program, as well as its regional policy, remain a source of friction between Tehran and Washington.
Several Iranian military officials condemned Kerry's statement that the United States and the Cooperation Council member states must jointly counter Iran's ballistic missile program.
"The US was not invited to talk about our ballistic program, because it is not a topic of negotiations," said the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami.
The US has imposed new sanctions on Iran after the recent launch of ballistic missiles.
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