President Hassan Rouhani has censured a recent deadly terrorist attack against Iranian security forces, describing the US and Israel as the “root causes of terror” in the Middle East region.
Speaking to reporters before departing Tehran for the Russian resort city of Sochi on Thursday, Rouhani said such criminal acts will “have no impact on the strong determination of the great Iranian nation, and they (people) will firmly continue on the path they have chosen.”
On Wednesday, a bomb attack targeted a bus carrying members of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchistan, killing 27 of them and injuring 13 others.
“America and Zionism (Israel) are the main root causes of terrorism in the region, while certain regional oil-rich countries provide financial aid to the terrorists,” Rouhani added.
Rouhani further called on Iran’s neighbouring countries to fulfill their legal obligations within the framework of the principle of good neighbourliness and prevent the terrorist groups from using their soil to launch attacks against their neighbours.
“Should such a trend continue and they (the neighbouring countries) fail to contain the terrorists, it is clear under international law that we have certain rights and will [act to] restore them in due time,” he said.