Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 12
By Rahim Zamanov, Saeed Isayev - Trend:
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on February 11 that as a victim of terrorism, Iran has always advocated the fight against terror, IRINN reported.
"The US adopts a double standard policy when it comes to advancing its interests in the region," he said.
Deputy foreign minister also denied allegations that Hezbollah is a terrorist group, saying the resistance movement has always fought for Lebanon's peace and stability.
During his visit to Lebanon in January 2014, Iran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif put a wreath at the grave of assassinated Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh.
The United States later condemned the move, as spokeswoman for the White House National Security Council Caitlin Hayden said that Moughniyeh had been responsible for "heinous acts of terrorism that killed hundreds of innocent people, including Americans," according to Reuters.
"The inhumane violence that Moughniyeh perpetrated - and that Lebanese Hezbollah continues to perpetrate in the region with Iran's financial and material support - has had profoundly destabilizing and deadly effects for Lebanon and the region," Hayden said.
The condemnation came as the United States works with world powers to ensure Iran abides by an interim deal aimed at containing Iran's nuclear program.
"The decision to commemorate an individual who has participated in such vicious acts, and whose organization continues to actively support terrorism worldwide, sends the wrong message and will only exacerbate tensions in the region," Hayden said.
On Jan. 30, Iranian foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham criticized Obama for labeling Lebanon's resistance movement Hezbollah as a terrorist group while the White House has been turning a blind eye to the crimes of foreign-backed Takfiri militants in the region.