Iran blames U.S military interventions for regional instability

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani speaks at a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 8, 2024. [Xinhua]

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that many of the insecurities, instabilities and tensions in West Asia have roots in the U.S. military presence and interventions in the region.

He made the remarks at a weekly press conference in the Iranian capital Tehran, while commenting on the recent tensions between U.S. forces and resistance groups in Iraq and other regional states.

"Many of the insecurities, instabilities and tensions in the region have roots in the U.S. government's political, military and security interventions in the region as well as its unlimited and unconditional support for Israel," said Kanaani.

Kanaani's remarks followed an attack launched by the U.S. military on Thursday on the headquarters of the Hashd Shaabi resistance group in eastern Baghdad, which killed three people, including a leader of the Harakat al-Nujaba group that is part of Hashd Shaabi.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said on Friday his government would soon start talks with the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq through a committee to arrange the withdrawal of foreign troops, a move he said was "a commitment that the government will not back down from."

The time has come for the U.S. military forces' pullout from the Iraqi territory, Kanaani said, adding regional countries could ensure peace, stability and security through collective cooperation without the help of transregional military forces.