Iran says U.S. Middle East policy contradicts its peace claim

TEHRAN, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Wednesday blamed the United States for its contradiction between remarks and behavior toward the Middle East, saying while U.S. President Joe Biden claimed that the establishment of peace is among the objectives of his visit to the region, Washington's foreign policy demonstrates something else.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani made the remarks at a press conference in reaction to Biden's comments about his visit to the region in an opinion piece published on Saturday by Washington Post.

Biden claimed that among his objectives for the visit is "contributing to the establishment of peace in the region."

Kanaani said it is very surprising that the U.S. officials "erroneously" think they could justify the consequences of their "destructive performance" in the region by writing such opinion pieces.

He stressed that a glance at U.S. foreign policy proves the contradiction between Washington's actions and words, adding U.S. presence in regional countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, has been illegal and inflicted numerous losses on their peoples.

The U.S. government cannot project itself as "a friend of the region" by simply writing an opinion piece, Kanaani noted, calling on the U.S. administration to know that adopting violent policies toward the region will provoke reactions.

The spokesman urged Washington to think over its policies toward the Middle East, and change its behavior.

Biden is scheduled to begin his four-day Middle East tour on Wednesday.