TEHRAN: Iran has rejected recent remarks by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio linking regional instability to Iran-backed armed groups, arguing instead that American policies are the primary source of conflict and insecurity in the Middle East.
Responding to Rubio’s comments, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei dismissed the US position and accused Washington of attempting to shift responsibility for ongoing tensions in the region. In a post on X, Baghaei shared a video clip of Rubio criticising Iraq-based armed groups as well as Hezbollah and Hamas.
Baghaei said that no one would be deceived by such claims, maintaining that the United States itself was undermining prospects for peace in the Middle East through its military presence and interventionist policies.
He argued that lasting stability would remain out of reach as long as what he described as American militarism and interventionism continued in the region. Baghaei also accused Israel, which he referred to as a US-backed occupying power, of carrying out wars across the Middle East with impunity.
The Iranian spokesman further alleged that Israel was responsible for widespread violence and atrocities, claiming that its actions had contributed significantly to regional instability. He asserted that continued conflict, terrorism and bloodshed in the region were being fuelled by these policies rather than by the groups singled out by Rubio.