Iranian foreign ministry yesterday denounced British Prime Minister Tony
Blair for his latest comments concerning Iran's "impedimental role" for peace in
the Mideast region, the official IRNA news agency reported.
In a statement released earlier the day, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad
Ali Hosseini said Blair's recent "hostile and malicious" claims indicated
Britain's "blatant and harmful" interference in regional affairs, terming his
remarks as a "British scheme to create disunity".
"The negative and divisive approach of Britain as well as unilateralism and
war mongering policies of (U.S. President GeorgeW.) Bush and Blair account for
tension and extremism in the region," Hosseini was quoted as saying.
Such claims cannot hurt the friendly and brotherly relations as well as
peaceful coexistence of regional states, he stressed.
In his recent comments, Blair described Iran as "an obstacle to peace" in the
region and called on moderate Muslim countries to form coalition force to oppose
Tehran's alleged support for extremism.
The U.S., Britain and some other Western countries have repeatedly accused
Iran of helping Iraqi Shiite militant groups to fight with coalition forces in
that country, but Tehran has denied the charges.