Iranian commander warns against negative impacts of supporting extremism

A high-ranking Iranian commander reiterated Tehran's concern about the spread of extremism and terrorism in the region, and called on certain regional rulers to stop backing the Takfiri and Salafi groups whose criminal acts have set ablaze people's life in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. In a Monday interview, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces for Logistic and Industrial Research General Mohammad Hejazi expressed regret over the killing of innocent people at the hand of Takfiri terrorists in some regional countries, adding, “The country backing Takfiri and Salafi groups will suffer the consequences of this support.” The Iranian commander said these terrorist acts are the result of the lack of prudence of some regional rulers and will backfire. In relevant remarks on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced Tehran's concern about the spread of radicalism in the region, stressing that the phenomenon would bring about unpredictable threats to the other parts of world soon. Speaking at a meeting with Head of Italian Senate Foreign Policy Commission Senator Pier Ferdinando Casini in Tehran, Zarif said that radicalism threatens everybody and no one can claim that it is just a regional problem. The foreign minister underlined that if there is not enough cooperation, radicalism will spread to other regional countries and we will witness success of radicalism in these states. In mid-December, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian warned backers of terrorists about the dire consequences of their supports, saying that no ideology has materialized its long-term objectives by resorting to extremism and terrorism.