Iran: Instability in Egypt Leads to Security Void in N. Africa
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan warned against spread of instability in Egypt, saying that the recent events will only weaken the national power of Egypt and contribute to a “security void” in North Africa.
“Expansion of instability in Egypt and escalation of insecurity in the region will result in formation of security hole in the area of North Africa,” Dehqan said in Tehran today, on his first day at work as the country’s new defense minister.
The Iranian minister, who won an overwhelming vote of confidence in the parliament on Thursday, also cautioned that a prolonged lack of security in Egypt will pave the way for the presence of trans-regional forces in North Africa, which in turn could “upset the balance in favor of the West and the Zionist regime (of Israel).”
“The lamentable events in Egypt will result in nothing but the continued undermining national power of this country,” Dehqan pointed out.
This is not the first time that senior Iranian officials have voiced concern about escalation of tensions in that Muslim country.
In relevant remarks on August 9, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei had expressed concern about the tense conditions in Egypt, and said, “The possibility of outbreak of civil war in this country (Egypt) has increased, and this is a tragedy.”
Ayatollah Khamenei further called on all Egyptian political and religious groups to learn lessons from the presence of foreign-backed terrorists in Syria and from Israeli plots against the Islamic world, and warned the Egyptian nation against the grave consequences of the current circumstances.
Emphasizing the need for democracy in the North African country, the Leader stated that crisis in Egypt should be resolved by the Egyptians alone, and also dismissed any foreign interference in the Muslim country.
