Iran, Pakistan discuss defense ties amid U.S. threats

TEHRAN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian and Pakistani defense ministers held talks on defense cooperation amid U.S. President Donald Trump's recent Twitter spree against both nations, Press TV reported on Friday.

Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ali Hatami hailed growing defense cooperation between Tehran and Islamabad in a telephone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Khurram Dastgir-Khan on Thursday.

The latest developments in the region and in the Islamic world necessitate more interactions among officials of Iran and Pakistan, as two major countries in the Muslim world, Hatami was quoted as saying.

"The Americans always blame the others over their own failures in different parts of the world and they pursue the strategy of the Zionist regime (of Israel) to destabilize the region," Hatami said.

The "evil and stupid policies of the United States" are the root cause of deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the deaths of innocent civilians in Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq and Syria, he said.

The two countries should utilize such capacity to enhance their economic growth and security, Hatami said, pointing to the potentials for military cooperation between Iran and Pakistan.

The Pakistani defense minister welcomed the promotion of military cooperation with Iran with regard to the regional issues, noting that the two countries should further enhance such cooperation given the rapid pace of changes and regional developments.

Dastgir-Khan also criticized Trump's repeated tweets against Pakistan and underlined the importance of the Muslim nations' sovereign right to provide their own security.

Trump posted a series of tweets in recent days, in which he voiced support for the scattered riots in Iran and lashed out at Pakistan for supporting terrorists. Enditem