The deputy foreign minister said the Islamic State (IS) and Boko Haram terrorist groups are “two sides of the same coin.”
Hossein Amir Abdollahian made the remarks in a press conference on the sidelines of the 24th African Union summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Saturday, ISNA reported.
“Daesh (the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State) and Boko Haram are rooted in extremist takfiri thoughts,” he said. A takfiri is a Muslim who accuses another Muslim of being a heretic.
Elsewhere, he said western intelligence systems back terrorists, adding that Iran has provided support to African countries to help them deal with terrorist groups.
He denounced terrorist operations by Boko Haram in Nigeria and said Iran is ready to cooperate with the African Union in the campaign against terrorism.
The official reiterated, “Daesh is an evil phenomenon which has caused instability in Iraq and Syria,” adding, “We believe that the Syrian crisis should be resolved through political solutions.”
Referring to the current situation in Yemen, the deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs cited corruption as the main reason for the collapse of the crisis-hit Arab country.
He stressed the need to use political means to address the crisis in the country and called for prompt formation of a transitional government which includes all Yemeni political parties.
He also said al Qaeda is responsible for instability in the country.
The diplomat described al Qaeda in Yemen as a threat to security, stability and peace in the country and expressed confidence about the capabilities of the Yemeni people to establish security and stability and tackle challenges.
