Zionists involved in almost all regional crises: Iran president

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has censured Israel for supporting terrorism, saying the regime is, either covertly or overtly, complicit in almost all crises gripping the Middle East region.  “Today, it happens rarely for Zionists not to have a hand, either behind the scenes or openly, in rifts among regional countries,” Rouhani said in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday.  Wounded terrorists receive treatment in Israeli hospitals, he said, adding that the Tel Aviv regime arms terrorists and bombards the region in favor of them.      “It is clear that they (Israelis) support terrorism in the region,” President Rouhani said. “Undoubtedly, the split between regional countries and the Muslim world, such as the ones between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, and Egypt and Turkey eventually benefits global Zionism and usurping Israel.”   The Iranian chief executive also stressed that Zionism could be contained in the region if the Muslim world unites and the rifts are settled.   He further said the Islamic Republic would not allow terrorism to spread in the region, warning the terrorists and their masters against attempts to drag the scourge into Iran. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a cabinet meeting in Tehran on July 21, 2017. (Photo by president.ir)  He was referring to remarks by Saudi Defense Minister Mohammed bin Salman, who said last month that Riyadh would work to move “the battle” to Iran.  Elsewhere in his comments, Rouhani refered to Iran’s recent retaliatory missile strike on Daesh terrorists in Syria and said fighting terrorism is a decision made by the whole Iranian nation.  On Sunday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) fired six medium-range ground-to-ground ballistic missiles at the Daesh-held Syria town of Dayr al-Zawr in retaliation for the recent deadly terror attacks in the capital, Tehran.  Rouhani reaffirmed that Iran’s missiles are for defensive purposes, saying the country seeks no permission from anyone to boost its defense might.  The president also pointed to an anti-Iran sanctions bill passed by the US senate last week, saying the new officials in Washington have made wrong calculations if they think they could pressure Iran with congressional measures.  The bill calls for sanctions on Iran over its missile program among other things.  Rouhani said the US has hatched different plots against Iran over the past 40 years, stressing that the new US administration should know the Iranian people would not remain silent and would give an appropriate response to any threats.