Ghasemi: CIA Chief Seeks to Sow Discord in the Region

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry described the statements of the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States regarding the Iranian people's opposition to the regime's 'adventurism' in the region as 'ridiculous' and 'merely aimed at creating discord.' In response to Mike Pompeo's remarks about Iran's regional policies, Bahram Ghasemi stated that Tehran respects the 'principle of non-interference' in the affairs of other countries. Mike Pompeo, the CIA chief, expressed hope in an interview with BBC that the Iranian people would 'rise up and understand that the regime's adventurism [in the region] is not in their interest,' while referring to recent widespread protests in Iran. Ghasemi reiterated that 'neighbors have always been the first priority' in Iran's foreign policy. He added that Tehran has respected the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all its neighbors based on the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries. These comments come as 11 countries from the Middle East and North Africa accused Iran last year in a letter distributed at the UN General Assembly of causing tension and instability in the region by supporting 'terrorism' and continuously interfering in the internal affairs of Arab countries. Iran has dismissed these accusations as 'baseless' and accused these countries of supporting 'terrorism.' Ghasemi stated that the Islamic Republic has taken significant steps for greater cooperation, mutual understanding, deepening relations, peaceful coexistence, and ensuring collective security for all neighboring countries. He referred to the CIA chief's remarks as 'ridiculous statements aimed solely at creating discord among countries and Muslim nations in the region and indicative of the continued overreach of the United States.' Ghasemi added that 'this interventionist and destabilizing presence of the United States in the region and around Iran's borders is a serious obstacle to bringing these countries closer together and ending some existing disputes and crises through dialogue and diplomacy.' The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson also identified the United States as the 'main culprit in creating instability and the rise of extremism, hostility, violence, and terrorism in this region and the entire world.' In his remarks, Mike Pompeo also stated that the U.S. would stand against Iran's 'adventurism,' asserting that 'we must ensure that not only Qassem Soleimani but also Iran's political leaders like [Hassan] Rouhani and others take responsibility for the warmongering they have engaged in.' Pompeo expressed concern about the proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia, adding that the way to prevent these actions from leading to a new war is for 'the Iranian people to understand that this will not be good for them at all.' He noted, 'We have seen the protests in recent weeks; the Iranian people understand that these adventures cost tens of millions of dollars for them and endanger their lives... and the war in Yemen makes no sense.' The CIA chief had also remarked on Iran's presence in Iraq, stating, 'We have long known that the Iranian people do not support adventurism and military activities in places like Iraq, where it is not in Iran's interest at all; we hope that the understanding of Iran's leaders changes regarding this situation.' Iran and Saudi Arabia have been supporting opposing sides in the countries of Syria and Yemen for several years. Tehran supports the central government and Bashar al-Assad in Syria, while Riyadh is engaged in suppressing the Houthi Shiite rebellion in Yemen. However, Tehran and Riyadh mutually accuse each other of interfering in the affairs of regional countries. The CIA chief's reference to the widespread protests in January of last year in over 100 cities in Iran began with 'no to inflation' but quickly escalated to slogans against the domestic and foreign policies of the Islamic Republic. Protesters in some of their slogans opposed the presence of Iranian military forces in Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon and the costs that this presence imposes on the country.