Press TV - Iran has censured US President Donald Trumps new strategy in Afghanistan, saying Washington must stop interfering in the internal affairs of other countries and abandon its destabilizing policies in the region.
Earlier this week, Trump said he was committed to a prolonged US military presence in Afghanistan as long as there is "determination and progress in the South Asian country.
He also took a tough line with Pakistan, warning Islamabad against providing terrorists with safe havens.
What the US today is condemning other countries for is the very outcome of its own wrong and irrational policies over the years in the region and particularly in Afghanistan, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Thursday night.
Washingtons opportunistic strategies and unilateral policies, coupled with its wrong interventions, have only intensified chaos and tension and spread terrorism and extremism across the region, he added.
Advising the Trump White House against adopting meddlesome policies and deciding for other nations, Qassemi said,The countries of the region have the required capacity to cooperate on the fight against terrorism and maintain stability and security in their own region."
The countries in the region "do notneed Americas destabilizing and terrorist-breeding policies.
Trumps announcement marked a clear U-turn from his campaign pledges to end the now 16-year-long occupation of Afghanistan.
"My original instinct was to pull out, and historically I like following my instincts, but all of my life I heard that decisions are much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office, he said Monday.
Trump's administration has been under overwhelming pressure to turn the tide in Afghanistan, to borrow Republican Senator John McCains words.
The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to allegedly eradicate the Taliban and other terror groups. After 16 years of deadly clashes, however, the Taliban are seemingly stronger while the Daesh Takfirigroup has also gained a foothold in the country.
The second-longest war in the US history has also killed over 2,000 American soldiers and injured 20,000 more. It has also cost the US economy more than $714 billion.
