Iranian Foreign Minister: Americans Deficit In Rationality, Prudence

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi criticized the United States on Monday for its plans to reorganize the number of military troops in the Mideast following the Iraq withdrawal.

The criticism follows reports that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned countries in the region not to meddle in Iraqi affairs once the U.S. military presence there dwindles.

In order to deter any attempts by other Mideast nations to involve themselves in Iraqi affairs, the Administration of Barack Obama plans to extend ties with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman, according to Xinhua.

“They are not following a rational and a prudent approach. The Americans always have a deficit, unfortunately, in rationality and prudence,” Salehi said at a press conference in Baghdad of the United States’ plans.

Salehi also dismissed warnings from Clinton and Panetta against Iranian interference in Iraq after U.S. forces leave.

“We have been used to such comments from the Americans for the past 30 years,” Salehi said. “Iraq does not need anybody to meddle into its internal affairs. Iraqis know better than anybody else how to run their country.”

Iraqi and Iranian foreign relations have improved in the years following the 2003 downfall of Saddam Hussein. U.S. officials fear that relations between the two countries could prove detrimental to Iraqi democracy.