Iran says United States jet deployment in U.A.E is a threat to regional security
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012 6:17:09 by Hamza Jahangir
The United States’ deployment of cutting-edge F-22 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates “will endanger the region’s security,” Iran warned on Tuesday. “We do not in any way approve the presence of foreign forces in the region.
We advise the regional countries against providing a basis for their presence, “foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters.
His comment reinforced criticism voiced on Monday by Defence Minister Ahmad Vahid, who was quoted by the Al-Alam channel as saying: “Such deployments in the region are both harmful and useless. They are mostly done to create a
psychological trend and a sense of insecurity in the region.”US officials speaking on condition of anonymity on Monday said an unspecified number of F-22 Raptors had been sent to the Al-Dhafra air base in the United Arab Emirates.
A US Air Force spokeswoman confirmed the presence of the aircraft — the most advanced fighters in the US arsenal — in the general region, while a Pentagon spokesman, Captain John Kirby, described it as “a very normal deployment.”The
dispatch of the F-22s, though, comes at a moment of high tension in the Gulf. The United States is leading its allies in a showdown with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme.
While the issue is currently the subject of talks, the next round of which will take place in Baghdad on May 23, Israel and the United States have both warned that military action remains an option should diplomacy fail. Iran has
hit back, saying it could close the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Gulf to oil tanker traffic if it is threatened.
At the same time, Tehran has criticised UAE neighbour Saudi Arabia over its pledge to pump more oil at a time when Iranian oil exports are being cut by Western sanctions. And Iran and the UAE have been locked in a simmering row
over ownership of three islands in the Gulf that both countries claim. Washington has sided with the UAE in that dispute.
Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=21060
Posted by Hamza Jahangir
on May 1 2012. Filed under Middle East, USA, World.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
