Anti-Daesh fighters waiting for nobody’s order: Zarif

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says those forces who are fighting against Daesh terrorists have never been waiting for anybody’s order to defend their homeland.

According to Press TV, speaking to reporters at the end of the 13th meeting of Iran-South Africa Joint Commission in Pretoria on Monday, Zarif made the remarks in reaction to earlier comments by US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson in Saudi capital Riyadh.

Tillerson was speaking at a joint news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Sunday. He said "Iranian militias" in Iraq should leave the country now that the fight against Daesh was coming to a close.

In response to Tillerson, Zarif noted that the anti-Daesh fighters “are already in their homes and have not been waiting and will not wait for anybody’s order,” adding, “If they had waited for orders from Tillerson and US government, today, we would have had Daesh in Baghdad and Erbil.”

He emphasized that the anti-Daesh fighters have only acted in line with orders from religious authorities and defended their own homeland.

“Unlike the US that sees its interests in division and discord, the Islamic Republic of Iran sees its interests in cooperation and collaboration with regional countries,” Zarif said.

On Sunday, the Iranian foreign minister also slammed Tillerson’s remarks, saying they had been uttered under the influence of petrodollars of certain states.

“Exactly what country is it that Iraqis, who rose up to defend their homes against ISIS, [should] return to?” Zarif said in a tweet late on Sunday, using an alternative name for Daesh. “Shameful US FP (foreign policy), dictated by petrodollars,” he added in his tweet.

Upon his arrival in the South African capital on Sunday, Zarif also denounced the policies of US President Donald Trump’s administration as “isolated in the world.”

“Unfortunately, the Americans do not want to rectify their viewpoint that Iran is a source of stability and peace as well as a campaigner against terrorism in the region,” he said.

Meanwhile, speaking at the Iran-South Africa Trade Forum, Zarif stressed the importance of improving mutual relations and said, “South Africa has a special significance for Iran in economic ties.”

He added that Iran enjoyed a good level of security for investment, particularly following the implementation of the landmark nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and the lifting of sanctions against the country in 2016.

Zarif noted that the removal of sanctions had greatly improved the prospects for relations with Iran.

SS