A lawmaker called on the intelligence services of regional countries to pool their resources to form a counterterrorism alliance.
In a recent talk with ICANA, Javad Sadatinejad said, "In the past, assassinations of an individual or a group of people were the only result of terrorism, but now it has a great impact on factors such as economy."
"Therefore, it is essential that a strategic coalition is formed to counter foreign-backed terrorism, particularly in the Middle East," he said.
Citing the considerable damage caused by the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group in the Middle East and North Africa region, Sadatinejad said the insecurity in Iraq and Syria led to considerable capital flight and decrease in financial investment.
Sadatinejad said terrorist groups such as IS are created by global powers which use them as a tool to attain their objectives and justify their presence in the region.
"If Muslim countries in the Middle East form an alliance together, other countries cannot implement their evil plans in the region," the parliamentarian said.
The call to form a regional counterterrorism alliance comes as a six-party conference was held in Pakistan last week to improve "inter-regional connectivity" in facing terrorist challenges.
Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani urged Middle East parliaments to join hands to improve convergence among regional countries as a prerequisite for establishing a regional alliance against threats emanating from terrorist elements.
Larijani's counterparts from Pakistan, Russia, Turkey, China and Afghanistan were also attending the two-day meeting.
Pakistan initiated the conference after it was censured by US President Donald Trump, who is dissatisfied with the costs of the 16-year US intervention in Afghanistan and blames Islamabad for the ongoing insecurity in Afghanistan.
Analysts believe the US move has prompted Pakistan to engage in consultations with regional countries to promote anti-terror cooperation to sideline the US in the region.
