International News

TEHRAN, Oct 17, (APP/AFP) – Iran has rejected remarks by US Secretary of State John Kerry that its policies in Syria and Yemen are blocking efforts to encourage banks to do business with it. In an interview published Friday, Kerry told Foreign Affairs magazine that Iranian support for Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement and Yemen’s Huthi rebels made it “very difficult” to help Iran improve its banking system and business practices. “Mr Kerry’s comments are totally unacceptable,” Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told state television on Sunday night. “We are surprised. During the nuclear negotiations, we clearly said that questions of security, defence, ballistic missiles and our regional policies were not negotiable and are not linked to the nuclear talks,” he said. “It is unacceptable that Mr Kerry is today talking of new conditions.” Iran supports the Assad regime in Syria, supplies Lebanon’s Hezbollah with funds and weapons and backs Huthi rebels in Yemen — all of which place it at odds with American policy in the region. The historic deal between world powers and Iran, which came into force in January, saw a partial lifting of sanctions in exchange for curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme. But Iranian officials have said the United States has not done enough to reassure banks they will not be penalised for doing business in Iran.