Rice Accuses Iran of Sponsoring Terrorism in Lebanon

 

     

Egypt – Naharnet/AFP — U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Iran of fuelling terrorism in Lebanon and destabilizing the whole region. “I think if there is a destabilization of the region, that can be laid at the feet of an Iranian regime,” she said.

On her way to Egypt, she accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism in Lebanon, backing Shiite militias in Iraq, aiding Hamas in the Palestinian territories and harboring ambitions of acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini earlier accused U.S. of having always had “a special policy of spreading fear in the region and tarnishing existing good relations” between countries in the Middle East.”

“The U.S. is looking to assure our allies that we are going to be reliable for meeting their security needs,” Rice said of the new military pacts worth 20 billion dollars for Saudi Arabia, 13 billion dollars for Egypt and 30 billion for Israel.

The arms package for other Gulf states is reportedly worth at least 20 billion dollars, although the United States says the precise figure is still undecided.