A lawmaker said the US should move to cut off the financial lifelines of terrorist groups operating in the Middle East, instead of conducting "useless" military exercises.
Abbasali Mansouri Arani made the statement in an interview with ICANA, referring to a US Navy drill in the region, which the US says is aimed at protecting trade routes from the threats of terrorist groups.
Calling the "anti-terror" war game a "media show", Arani said the US is a major supporter of terrorism worldwide. "The US seeks to appear fairly determined in the fight against terrorism," he said. "However, one of the biggest reasons for the creation of terrorist groups such as Taliban and Al-Qaeda has been the US, and it is now supporting Al-Nusra Front and Daesh [an Arabic acronym for the self-styled Islamic State militant group]."
The lawmaker pointed to the lack of effective action by the US against terrorist groups as the basis of his idea.
"If the economic lifeline of IS and other militant groups were to be cut, they will not last more than a month," he said. "So the US should explain why it is not taking any measure against terrorist groups, including IS? Why isn't it conducting drills to place economic pressure on IS and prevent its oil exports, instead of military exercises?"
The US Navy is leading a 30-country military exercise in the Middle East from April 4 to 26, parts of which are being held in the Persian Gulf waters.
