Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jan. 14 Iranian officials claimed that the eight-day trip by United States President George W. Bush to the Middle East aimed at advancing peace in the volatile region is doomed to failure. Iran Focus
Tehran, Iran, Jan. 14 Iranian officials claimed that the eight-day trip by United States President George W. Bush to the Middle East aimed at advancing peace in the volatile region is doomed to failure.
Ala’eddin Boroujerdi, who heads the Majlis (Parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, described Bushs visit as the sabre-rattling of a defeated man.
Boroujerdi made the remarks to Irans official news agency IRNA on Monday.
The hard-line MP also described Bushs trip as a political propaganda campaign and said that it was taking place since the U.S. President knew his policies in the region were futile.
Irans Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said late on Sunday that Bushs mission in the region was doomed.
Speaking to the Qatar-based television network al-Jazeera, Mottaki accused Bush of trying to cause tension in the Persian Gulf.
Bush has made stops in Israel, the West Bank, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, and is currently visiting Saudi Arabia. From there, he is expected to travel to Egypt.
The extended trip to the Middle East and the oil-rich Gulf states serves as a follow-up to the U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace talks held in Annapolis, U.S., in late 2007.
Bush has made the challenges posed to the region by Iran as a central theme of his trip.
On Sunday he accused Tehran of funding terrorist groups and failing to be truthful about its controversial nuclear program.
In a speech in Abu Dhabi, Bush said that Tehran “seeks to intimidate its neighbours with missiles and bellicose rhetoric.
“Iran’s actions threaten the security of nations everywhere, he said.
