TEHRAN – Abdolreza Farajirad, Iran’s former ambassador to Norway, has said that the harassment against the Iranian passenger plane by a United States’ fighter jets was in line with Washington’s policy of maximum pressure against Iran.

In an interview with IRNA published on Saturday, he said that the U.S. adventurism and pressure have become more dangerous as the presidential election in the country is getting close.

However, the former ambassador noted that the U.S. has not been able to reach its objective through maximum pressure.

Elsewhere, Farajirad said, “The United States’ dangerous actions against Iran have been coordinated with Israel and it seems that Washington and Tel Aviv have divided the job. Even there is possibility that the actions against the Mahan plane was done by Israelis but it was carried out by the United States, because Israel is fearful of Iran’s response.”

He suggested that the international community must condemn the U.S. act.

He said that Iran should send letter to heads of European countries as well as Russia and China and explain about the danger of such moves.

‘No one has let the U.S. inspect passenger plane’

Farajirad also said that no one has let the U.S. inspect passenger planes of other countries.

“Presence of the United States’ forces in Syria and also its fighter jets’ air missions are illegal,” he noted.

U.S. warplanes operating illegally in Syria conducted aggressive maneuvers close to an Iranian Mahan Air flight over Syria’s al-Tanf region on Thursday. The plane was en route to the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations has said that the United States must be held accountable for threatening the Iranian passenger plane.

“If we don’t call them accountable [for] this act, they will repeat it again,” IRNA quoted Bashar al-Jaafari as saying on Friday.

NA/PA