Increased US presence in M-E dangerous, says Iran

The US decision to deploy additional troops to the Middle East region was "dangerous", said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Saturday.

"Increased US military presence in our region is extremely dangerous and it threatens international peace and security," Zarif was quoted as saying by Iranian state TV.

Such a move by the US should be addressed by the international community, the Iranian Foreign Minister said, a day after US President Donald Trump announced sending 1,500 more troops to the Middle East, Xinhua news agency reported.

On May 5, Washington announced deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group and a bomber task force to the region adjacent to Iran's southern waters.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton said earlier that American forces were being deployed for protective measures against any "attack on US' interests or on those of our allies".

Responding to Bolton's remarks, Zarif said: "The US officials have made such allegations based on 'fake intelligence' to justify their 'hostile' policies towards the Islamic republic and to raise tensions in the region."

--IANS

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