TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Velayati, the senior foreign policy advisor to the Leader, said on Tuesday that the countries in the Middle East region should counter the plot by the U.S. to disintegrate countries in the region.

During a meeting in Tehran with Mala Bakhtiar, the chief of executive body of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan political bureau, Velayati said the U.S. seeks to disintegrate the regional countries to serve the interests and security of Israel.

He added some reactionary countries in the region seek to create division in the Islamic community.

“The enemies of Islam commit crime against the oppressed regional people especially in Iraq and Syria through waging proxy wars and forming extremist and terrorist groups under the name of Islam,” Velayati pointed out.

Elsewhere, he said that Iran and Iraq have many cultural, historical and religious affinities and the two countries should prioritize expansion of cooperation. 

For his part, Bakhtiar said the conspiracies to divide up the regional countries will lead nowhere.

He also praised Iran’s “principled position” toward regional issues and said the country is on the path of to “progress”.

The PUK official added Iran has been taking “effective” actions to help establish peace and stability in the region.

NA/PA