On Saturday, Nov. 16, top Iranian adviser Ali Shamkani gave remarks that pointed directly at the role of the U.S. in instigating the flood of terrorism across Southwest Asia over the recent years. Shamkhani was appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a member of the Expediency Discernment Council and has also served as an adviser to Khamenei. Shamkani was formerly the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran until last year.
English-language coverage has only been found in Russian media, which quoted from the Iranian Defense Ministry. According to RT, Shamkani claimed that “the Americans themselves openly admit that they formed ISIS and Al-Qaeda” in a bid to create a rift between Iran and its neighbors, as well as to protect its ally and Tehran’s arch foe, Israel.
TASS’s coverage of his remarks include the comment that the United States authorities supported terrorist groups in the Middle East, which damaged the national security of the Islamic Republic.
