TEHRAN- The spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry has said that the U.S. government must explain to the government and people of Iran what is its relationship with the well-known terrorist ringleader Jamshid Sharmahd, who has been found guilty in court.

Speaking to reporters at a weekly press conference on Monday, Nasser Kanaani said that it is obvious that the inhumane and brutal terrorist bombing operation in Shiraz, which resulted in the deaths of 14 mourners, was planned and carried out by the Sharmahd terror group.

“Iraq has agreed to disarm and relocate Kurdish insurgents”

Kanaani also said that as a part of a deal between Tehran and Baghdad, terrorist separatist groups located in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region would be disarmed within the coming weeks.

“Iran and Iraq have concluded an agreement, under which the Iraqi government takes on the commitment to disarm terrorist and separatist groups in the Kurdistan region, vacate military barracks set up there and transfer them to the camps established by the Iraqi government,” he explained.

He said that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has been informed of the terms of the memorandum of agreement by Iraqi officials.

Kanaani emphasized that there will be no postponement of the September 19 deadline, adding that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Special Representative for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert are both aware of Iran’s position.

“Iran-Iraq relations are friendly, warm, friendly and constructive, but the presence of anti-Iran terrorists on the Iraqi soil is a blight to mutual relations. We expect the Iraqi government to eliminate the bane,” he underscored.

If the deadline passes without the accord being implemented, Iran will take matters into its own hands to safeguard its own security, he emphasized.

‘Unlawful deployment of U.S. forces in Syria’

Kanaani also called the presence of U.S. troops in Syria illegitimate, noting that they are not there at the request of the Damascus government and Syrian state authorities had long demanded their immediate departure.

“Developments in Syria have shown that the U.S. military presence is not only illegal but also the root cause of sustained instability. It provides terrorist groups with the opportunity to survive. We view U.S. military presence in the region as detrimental to peace, stability and tranquility,” he pointed out.

‘Moves to lift harsh sanctions’  

Kanaani also stated that the current Iranian administration is using two tactics to remove harsh sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

Tehran is attempting to neutralize the sanctions at the same time as it is having talks to get all parties return to their obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, the spokesman remarked.

Iran-Russia defense ties

The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman also talked about Iran’s diplomatic ties with Russia and Ukraine.

Tehran and Moscow have been working together on defense projects for a number of years while adhering to globally recognized standards, the official said.

The spokesman made it clear that this collaboration has nothing to do with any other problems.

He categorically denied Western claims that Iran had provided drones to Russia to use them in the Ukraine war.

“Iran’s cooperation with Russia had existed before the start of the war, will continue within the framework of mutual ties and is not directed at any third party,” he noted.