TEHRAN – Hossein Amir Abdollahian, Iran’s Foreign Minister, has reacted to U.S. President Joe Biden’s visit to the West Asia region, saying U.S.-Israel “puppeteering” will make Iran “more determined”. 

In a tweet on Friday, Amir Abdollahian signaled that Iran will continue indirect talks with the U.S. over removing American sanctions on Tehran. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will robustly and logically continue its path of achieving sustainable economic development and trying to remove sanctions with dignity.  We will never back down from the inalienable rights of the great Iranian nation.”

He added, “Our goal is to reach a good, strong, and lasting deal. Undoubtedly, the White House and Zionism’s puppeteering in the region will make us more determined.”

President Biden visited Israel on Thursday and met with almost all of Israel’s leaders. The visit was accompanied by bluster and threats against Iran, especially from Israeli officials, who called on Biden to openly threaten Iran with military action. 

Iran has rejected these threats. 

Iranian Foreign Minister spokesman Nasser Kanaani also rejected the allegation that Iran is a threat to its neighbors. “As long as the fake administration of ‘Israel’ is the first destination in visits by American presidents and the main goal is to ensure its security and supremacy, the region’s nations and states will not attain peace, stability and calm. The Islamic Republic of Iran considers the security of its neighbors as its own,” he said on Twitter. 

Earlier, Kanaani reacted to the notion of completing air defense systems of the region raised by the National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the White House. Kanaani said raising the issue is provocative and the Islamic Republic considers the statement a threat to its national security and also regional security.

He also said the fact that the U.S. raises and pursues such issues without correctly understanding the realities of the region and merely for the purpose of portraying Iran as a threat and sowing division in the region shows that what matters for Washington is its own illegitimate interests and putting the Zionist regime on life support.