Iran denies meddling in Arab world

TEHRAN: Iran strongly denied any meddling on Thursday after Arab leaders condemned “foreign interference” in their affairs in a clear reference to the Islamic republic.

Iran has “said repeatedly it does not need to intervene in the domestic affairs of other countries and always abides by the principles of good neighbourliness and respect for the sovereignty of governments,” foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said.

“We cannot, however, hide our deep sorrow for some Arab and Islamic leaders, who instead of dealing with the most important crises in the region and the Muslim world… go astray and fail to distinguish friend from foe, either intentionally or by mistake.

“It’s very regrettable that some are trying to change reality and replace the Zionist regime (Israel) with Islamic Iran as an illusory and fabricated enemy,” he added.