Int'l security conference kicks off in Iran's Tehran

TEHRAN, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- A security conference on the west Asia region situation kicked off in Iran's capital Tehran on Monday.

The one-day event, held with the slogan of "Regional Security in West Asia; Emerging Challenges and Trends," is the second of its kind in less than one year organized by the Islamic republic.

More than 200 Iranian and international political figures and experts have attended the "Second Tehran Security Conference 2018."

In the opening remarks, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that Saudi Arabia, the United States, and Israel are fanning the flames of regional crises through their interventionist policies, state TV reported.

Zarif also denounced what he called the U.S. "interventionist" strategies as one of the most substantive security challenges.

"The U.S. is still ignorant of objective facts across the region, and insists on pursuing its destructive and tension-creating policies through its illegitimate military presence on Syrian soil," he added.

Besides, he pointed out the continued occupation of Palestinian territories by Israel as the most critical issue facing the region.

"All issues are either directly or indirectly affected by this predicament and the oppression that has been forced upon the people of Palestine over the past 70 years," he said, dismissing Washington's recent move to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

The move by the United States is an open declaration of hostility towards Muslims and an opportunity for the spread of extremism and terrorism in the region, Zarif stressed.

He warned against the destabilizing impact of arms race in the region, saying that compared to the rest of the world, Iran's neighbors in the Persian Gulf have the highest proportion of military budget to their gross domestic product. Enditem