President Trump’s plan to send 1,500 troops to the Middle East is “extremely dangerous” for peace in the region, said Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
“Increased U.S. presence in our region is extremely dangerous and it threatens international peace and security, and this should be addressed,” Zarif told the state-run news agency IRNA on Saturday.
Zarif said the U.S. has made allegations against the Iranian government in order to justify “hostile policies” that will only raise tensions in the Persian Gulf.
Trump announced the troop deployments earlier in the week, while approving arms sales to allies in the Gulf without congressional approval.
The actions followed the Pentagon’s deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to the region, in addition to bomber squadrons and Patriot missiles batteries being sent.
Tensions between Iran and the U.S. ratcheted up at the beginning of the month after the decision not to issue waivers for countries to import oil from the Islamic Republic. Oil is a key commodity for the Mideast nation.
