Iran said on Monday it is “pessimistic” about the outcome of talks between the United States and North Korea, recommending Pyongyang to remain “vigilant” in dealing with a country that has an infamous history of reneging on promises.
Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qasemi told a press briefing that Iran wants peace in the Korean peninsula but the US has proved time and again that it is not a reliable partner, Fars News Agency reported.
US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Singapore on Sunday for an unprecedented summit, with the US demanding complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization, according to AFP. It comes just over a month after the US president pulled out of a landmark nuclear deal with Iran and other world powers that put restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Unreliable Partner
Qasemi told reporters, “We would like peace, stability, security and calm to be established in the Korean peninsula like any other part of the world and naturally welcome any step toward this goal as well as economic development and welfare of regional nations.” However, the poor track record of US officials, particularly Trump, in honoring international agreements shows that Washington cannot be trusted, he added. “We are skeptical about the US behavior, approach and intentions and look at its actions with utter pessimism,” the Foreign Ministry official said. “North Korea should approach the issue with absolute vigilance.”
Presence in Syria
Qasemi referred to Iran’s military presence in Syria, saying it is at the request of the Damascus government and aimed at fighting terrorism.
“We will continue our cooperation in Syria until peace and security is restored and terrorism is eliminated in the country,” he said. In recent remarks, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reiterated that Iran’s presence on the ground in his country is “legitimate”.
“The Russians were invited by the Syrian government, their existence in Syria is a legitimate existence, the same for the Iranians. While for the United States, the UK, it is illegal,” he said in an interview with British newspaper the Mail on Sunday. Iran says its personnel are only in Syria to advise Assad’s government and that it has no conventional armed forces in the Arab state.
