Zarif: Trump's Policy in the Persian Gulf is Extremely Dangerous

Iran's Foreign Minister described the U.S. President's policy in the Persian Gulf as 'dangerous' and 'wrong.' Reuters reported on Thursday (November 30) that Mohammad Javad Zarif made these remarks at the third International Mediterranean Dialogue Conference in Rome. Mr. Zarif characterized Donald Trump's policy as 'extremely dangerous, lacking sufficient prior thought, and unrealistic.' He also added that 'in fact, U.S. pressures have led to greater solidarity in Iran.' According to the Iranian Foreign Minister, the only result of these pressures has been the 'strengthening of the resolve' of the Islamic Republic. According to Fars News Agency, Mohammad Javad Zarif stated upon his arrival in Rome that 'at the Mediterranean Dialogue Summit, I, along with several foreign ministers, am one of the main speakers, and the topics set for discussion are more in the form of questions and answers rather than speeches, including the situation in our region and the very dangerous conditions in the region and the JCPOA discussion.' Zarif also met and discussed with Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, during this trip. The U.S. President considers the policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the region to be 'destabilizing' and has called for more pressure to combat the expansion of Iran's influence and threats against Israel in the region. Donald Trump, who had opposed the signing of the JCPOA even before winning the U.S. presidential election, has referred to this agreement as 'the worst deal in U.S. history' and accused Tehran of violating the 'spirit' of this pact. He has also criticized what he called Iran's 'destabilizing activities' in Syria and, along with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, has spoken about the 'need to counter and neutralize' such Iranian activities in Syria. These criticisms have arisen because Iran is one of the main supporters of Bashar al-Assad's government, and in addition to the presence of Iranian forces in Syria, the Islamic Republic also plays a significant role in mobilizing and sending Shiite militias from other countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, to Syria. Furthermore, Hezbollah in Lebanon, which supports Bashar al-Assad in the internal conflicts in Syria, also receives financial and military assistance from Iran. Following the resignation of Saad Hariri, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, the U.S. warned, without directly mentioning Iran, that Lebanon should not become a 'proxy war' scene for internal or external forces and that they should not 'destabilize this country for their own purposes.' Trump also accused Iran of being involved in a missile attack by Houthi Shiites in Yemen on an area near Riyadh airport. Meanwhile, Iran denies any interference in the affairs of regional countries and has stated that it is only engaged in advisory and spiritual assistance in Syria and Yemen. Amir Hatami, Iran's Defense Minister, responded to the U.S. President's remarks by saying, 'It is not supposed that whenever something happens in the region, the U.S. blames Iran.' Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, also stated that 'there is no possibility of transferring missiles to Yemen' and that the missile fired belonged to the Ansar Allah group itself.