Iran says U.S is "the big problem of Middle East"

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United States is the big problem of the Middle East, a local Iraqi TV network quoted senior Iranian official Ali Akbar Velayati as telling Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in Baghdad Friday, February 16, IRNA reports.

The TV network which is close to National Reform Trend led by Jaafari also quoted Velayati as saying that the visit of the US secretary of state to the region was taking place in the wake of Washington's military and field setbacks in the face of Muslim countries.

Velayati, an international affairs advisor of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the Islamic Republic was closely monitoring all political, security and military movements of the US in the region.

He reiterated that "constant cooperation between Iran, Iraq and Syria will not allow the United States to infiltrate the Kurdish inhabited areas in the region."

According to Iraqi media, Velayati arrived in Iraq Thursday to help in the establishment of a center for proximity of Islamic sects to work under supervision of the Endowment Committee of Iraq's Parliament.

Velayati is scheduled to hold talks with a number of Iraqi political leaders and officials on expansion of mutual ties and on regional and international issues. He will also visit the holy city of Najaf for pilgrimage and meeting with high ranking Iraqi clerics.