TEHRAN – Iranian Majlis Speaker Ali Larijani said on Monday that terrorist actions in the Middle East region have mainly resulted from U.S. interferences.

Larijani made the remarks during a meeting with Vietnamese National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan in Hanoi.

“Terrorist movements have started their activities wherever the U.S. has made military intervention,” Larijani said in indirect reference to the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, where terrorists found opportunities for activities. 

Larijani said that Iran has always been firm in fighting terrorism and has helped regional countries whenever they have requested.

He said that the U.S.-led strikes against Syria revealed that the West does not seek to help settle the conflict in the country.

“The Westerners use chaos in the region to sell weapons, but we are determined to make the region safe,” he added.

The U.S., Britain and France jointly carried out attacks on Syria on Saturday. The attack took place one week after a suspected chemical weapons attack in the Syrian town of Douma near Damascus. Western countries claimed the Syrian government was responsible for the attack. Syria rejected by the claim.

For her part, the Vietnamese parliament speaker expressed concern over the U.S.-led airstrikes on Syria, saying that all countries should respect the UN Charter.

Parliamentary cooperation 

In the talks with Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, Larijani also said that the Iranian parliament is interested in expanding cooperation with Vietnam’s parliament.

He noted that the two countries should expand relations.

Vietnam can invest in Iran’s oil industry, he added.

The top Vietnamese legislator called for close coordination to lift trade ties to 2 billion dollars.

She said that information technology and telecommunications provide major potential for cooperation, Vietnam News Agency reported.

NA/PA