“What were those fighter jets doing there, then?” — Araghchi takes a swipe at Europe

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has accused European countries of participating in the war against Iran and undermining security in the region.

TodayPress TV reports that the minister said one of the reasons European countries were facing economic and social crises was their misguided policies on the global stage.

According to Araghchi, the NATO secretary general said several weeks ago that more than 500 US fighter jets had taken off from airbases in Europe to conduct military operations against Iran.

He also claimed that France had openly expressed its support for the war and told US President Donald Trump that it would help Washington in the conflict against Iran. Araghchi stressed that France was now facing social crises whose consequences he linked to a war in which, he said, Paris claimed not to be involved.

The Iranian diplomat also criticised attempts to portray the conflict as a clash between civilisations. He said such an approach was an attempt to deceive both oneself and the international community.

Araghchi argued that the latest war in the region had demonstrated that foreign military forces and US bases could not guarantee the security of their host countries. According to him, these bases had struggled not only to protect the countries in which they were located but also to defend themselves.

The minister said Iran supported initiatives by regional countries to establish collective security mechanisms without the involvement of foreign forces.

Kubra Musayeva