TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Tuesday that Germany has turned a blind eye to the United States’ “illegal interferences” in the Middle East region.

“Germany accuses Iran of destabilizing the region while it has turned a blind eye to the United States’ illegal interferences as the main reason behind instability in West Asia,” Mousavi tweeted.

He added, “Continuation of adopting such stances will seriously question Berlin’s claim about playing effective role on the path of peace and stability.”

Following the U.S. airstrikes against Iraqi forces on Sunday, the German Foreign Ministry on Monday said in a tweet on its website that “the increasing number of attacks by non-state militias is threatening the stability of #Iraq. Iran must end its policy of regional destabilization.”

U.S. forces conducted drone strikes on a number of Kata'ib Hezbollah bases in Iraq’s western Anbar province, killing at least 28 individuals and leaving another 51 injured, according to the PMU.

The targeted Kata'ib Hezbollah forces belonged to brigades 45 and 46 of the PMU, according to PMU official Jawad Kazim al-Rabi'awi.

Iraqi President Barham Salih called the attacks unacceptable, saying the strikes were contrary to security agreements inked between Baghdad and Washington, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

On Monday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the attacks once again exposed Washington’s lies in fighting the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group because it has “targeted positions of forces who have dealt heavy blows to Daesh terrorists in recent years.”

Mousavi urged the U.S. to respect Iraq’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and stop intervening in the country’s domestic affairs. 

“With these attacks, the U.S. demonstrated its unswerving support for terrorism and disregard to independence and sovereignty of countries,” the spokesman asserted.

Mousavi also said the United States must accept responsibility for consequences of this “illegal measure”, and described presence of foreign forces in the region as a source of insecurity, unrest and crisis.

“The U.S. must end its occupying presence,” he stated.

Foreign Minister Zarif also reacted to the incident, saying the U.S. kills people thousands of miles beyond its borders in the name of self-defense.

“The recent U.S. measure in Baghdad was merely an example of such U.S. behavior in the region,” he said in Moscow on Monday, upon meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov.

NA/PA