ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Saturday said that plans by the United States and Israel to create a joint defense pact with regional Arab states, aimed at responding to Iranian drones and missiles, will increase regional tensions.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani, when reacting to the potential plan, labeled it as "provocative" and said that Iran sees the prospect as "a threat against its national security and also regional security."
The US and Israel are seeking to form a security alliance with regional Arab countries that would connect air defense systems and combat Iranian drone and missile attacks in the region, according four unnamed sources cited by Reuters as saying on Friday.
The potential plan is likely to attain favorability during US President Joe Biden's upcoming visit to the Middle East.
However, the sources added that discussions are still preliminary and "have already met resistance" from regional Arab countries "who refuse to do business with Israel."
Kanaani slammed the US for pursuing "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."
He added that the security alliance would only result in "undermining the mutual security of the region and serving the security interests of the Zionist regime," and moreover criticized Washington for repeated failures of bringing security to the region, citing its intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Encouraging Arab nations to strengthen security ties and overall relations with Israel is one of the aims of Biden's travels to Israel and Saudi Arabia next week, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday.
Israel and Iran are fierce rivals, with Jerusalem considering Tehran its greatest enemy, citing its nuclear program, military activities, and support for hostile militant groups.
The US on Wednesday launched fresh sanctions against Iran, targeting dozens of "individuals and entities" and accusing them of "engaging in the illicit sales of shipment of Iranian petroleum."
In 2020, four Arab nations normalized ties with Israel in a series of Trump administration-brokered talks known as the Abraham Accords. The United Arab Emirates, Sudan. Bahrain, and Morocco all announced normalization agreements with Israel, with America's support.
