Iran rejects French envoy’s biased remarks

Iran has lashed out at the French ambassador to the UN for making “consciously biased” remarks about Tehran’s role in the Middle East, saying such fabricated claims aim to cover up Paris widespread interference in Syria’s internal affairs.

According to Press TV, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on Tuesday that French Ambassador to the United Nations François Delattre made “spiteful” remarks about Iran’s nuclear and missile activities and its regional policies.

“The French ambassador’s remarks are devoid of truth and are aimed at covering up France broad interference in Syria’s affairs which has inflicted heavy human and financial losses on the Syrian people,” Qasemi said.

Addressing a UN Security Council’s meeting in New York on Monday, the French envoy expressed concern over several "destabilizing" actions by Iran, including the testing of ballistic missiles "capable of carrying nuclear weapons."

“It is important for regional stability for Iran to abstain from any destabilizing and dangerous activity,” Delattre alleged.

The Iranian spokesman rejected the claims and said, “Iran’s military capabilities, including missiles, have not been designed to carry nuclear weapons and are not within the jurisdiction of the Security Council’s resolutions and their annexes.”

He added that countries equipping armed groups are responsible for further complicating and escalating the crisis in Syria.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always supported [the introduction of] reforms in Syria and the cessation of violence and regards holding national dialog within the framework of Syria-Syria negotiations as the solution to the country’s crisis,” the spokesperson pointed out.

He expressed Iran’s determination to actively help improve peace and stability in the Middle East in a bid to counter violent terrorism and extremism, saying Tehran is ready to fully cooperate with its neighboring countries and the international community to fight this common global threat.

He also said the French diplomat’s comments about Iran’s missile program run counter to the nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between the Islamic Republic and the P5+1 group of countries on July 14, 2015.

“Iran’s military capabilities, including missiles, are exclusively for legitimate defense purposes. Such equipment have not been designed to carry nuclear weapons,” Qasemi said.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman further criticized the French diplomat for leveling allegations against Major General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).

“The comments by this French official ... come as French leaders and authorities are consciously ignoring the Zionist regime as the source of crisis and the main obstacle to regional and global peace.”

SS