Iran criticizes military intervention, arrests in Egypt

In a first official reaction to the overthrow of Islamist-oriented government in Egypt, Iran criticized on Sunday the military intervention in Egypt's political affairs and the arrests made by the Egyptian armed forces. In a statement issued on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry voiced concern over the recent arrests of a number of political figures in Egypt, the state-run IRIB TV reported. Egypt's elected President Mohamed Morsi was ousted on Wednesday by the Egyptian armed forces after the nationwide protests against him. Thereafter, Morsi and some leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood went under detention by the army. Iran's Foreign Ministry warned against what it said "the Zionist regime's plots" against the Egyptians and called for " their vigilance over the plots and about the (Israeli) regime's opportunistic misuse of the recent developments" in Egypt. The statement said the unrest has resulted in violence and harmed the national unity and domestic solidarity in Egypt, urging democratic means for settling the crisis in the Arab state, according to IRIB. Also on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi told official IRNA news agency that military intervention which led to the ouster of Morsi was an "inappropriate" action. The Iranian spokesman stated that the street democracy is not a favorable form of democracy and it is not an appropriate way for military forces in a country to intervene in political affairs and topple a government which gained power through election. Egypt is currently faced with two issues: one is the public demands which should be responded and the other is the inefficiency of Morsi's government in its policies, said Araqchi. The territorial integrity, solidarity, peace and stability of Egypt, as one of the most important countries in the Islamic world, is of prime significance for Iran, and the Islamic republic is seriously following the developments in Egypt, he added. Earlier, a senior Iranian lawmaker said the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt failed to keep the trust that had been bestowed upon them through the vote of the Egyptians, Press TV reported. "What happened in Egypt was actually a soft coup staged by the Egyptian army, which was unfortunately the result of repeated mistakes by the ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi and Muslim Brotherhood," Chairman of Iran Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, was quoted as saying. The Iranian lawmaker expressed hope that the Muslim Brotherhood would adopt prudent political decisions, form a new political array and try its chances once more in Egypt's future elections. Besides, another Iranian lawmaker said Tehran does not approve of the rule of a military junta over Egypt and believes that the intervention of the army in the country's political developments must be temporary. The Islamic republic "calls for the Egyptian people's demands to be met only through legal channels and by holding free and broad-based elections to ensure the highest participation of people, parties and other political currents," he said. The Iranian official further expressed hope that sectarian strife would be avoided in Egypt. The recent protests in Egypt accused Morsi of alleged " maladministration" since he came to power a year ago. Chief of Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court Adli Mansour has been assigned by the armed forces to run the country for a transitional period.