TEHRAN – Iran has hit out at the US, saying the holding of the 16th NAM Summit in Tehran proves the “failure” of America’s “threat and sanction” policy against the oil-rich country. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian said the anti-Iran policies of the US-led Western nations are doomed for failure.
Amirabdollahian described the presence of heads of states and high ranking delegations of NAM member countries in Tehran as important “under such critical conditions arising from developments in the Middle East and North Africa and its coincidence with Islamic awakening movement” in the region.
“The threat and sanction policy [of the US] has failed despite pressures exerted on Iran by the US and some other countries,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Amirabdollahian as saying.
He also said Iran’s hosting of the summit would improve its position in the international fora, while the US and European Union are facing severe financial crisis.
During the summit, Iran will take over the NAM rotating presidency from Egypt for the next three years. While Western countries have tried to downplay Iran holding the summit, Tehran sees it as a major diplomatic win.
The US and other western countries have accused Iran of following a secretive nuclear weapons programme even though Tehran vehemently denies it.
