NATO missiles harm Turkey’s security, Iran Defense minister warns
December 22, 2012 – 13:46 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – The installation of Patriot anti-missile batteries
sent by NATO members to bolster Turkey’s defenses against a possible
missile attack from Syria will only harm Turkey’s security, Iran’s
defense minister was quoted as saying on Saturday, December 22,
according to Reuters.
NATO approved Turkey’s request for the air defense system earlier this
month, in a move meant to calm Ankara’s fears of being hit by Syrian
missiles.
Iran has strongly supported its Arab ally President Bashar al-Assad of
Syria as he attempts to suppress a 21-month-old uprising against his
rule. Tehran opposes the installation of NATO missiles as Western
interference in the region and has said it could lead to a “world war.
“The installation of Patriot missiles in Turkey plays no role in
establishing Turkey’s security and this harms the country of Turkey,”
Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Saturday, according to
the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA). “The West has always pursued
its viewpoints and interests and we disagree with the presence of
Western countries in regional interactions.”
Vahidi also denied that Iran is training Syrian forces to battle the
rebels, ISNA reported. Iran considers itself, Syria’s rulers and the
Lebanese Shi’ite militant group Hezbollah as part of an “axis of
resistance” against U.S. and Israeli power in the Middle East, but has
denied accusations that it helping Assad militarily.
“Syria has no need for the training of its forces by the Islamic
Republic of Iran, because Syria has a powerful military which has
prepared itself for involvement with the Zionist regime (Israel),”
Vahidi said.
From: Baghdasarian