US' Mideast Policies "Destabilizing"

A Foreign Ministry official says recent remarks by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter are indicative of the United States' "destabilizing" role in the Middle East.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Marzieh Afkham made the statement on Saturday in response to comments by Carter in an interview with the Atlantic published on Friday.

Carter advised Arab states to unite against Tehran and the so-called Islamic State militant group by bolstering their ground forces, IRNA reported.

"If you look at where the Iranians are able to wield influence, they are in the game, on the ground," he said.

He added that the reason Persian Gulf states lack influence in the region "is that they have weighted having high-end air-force fighter jets and so forth over the hard business of training and disciplining ground forces and special-operations forces."

Afkham noted that Carter's remarks clearly show Washington's "destabilizing policies and measures in the region." She added that instead of getting an answer from Iran, Carter's remarks should be responded to by Arab countries in the region, as it is they who have been "humiliated and insulted."

"These words indicate that from the US official's viewpoint, Arab countries are even incapable of ... using the weapons they acquire," she said.