US Should Review 'Destabilizing' Mideast Policy That Spread Violence - Tehran

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The United States has to review its foreign policies in the Middle East that have led to the destabilization of the region, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

"US interference in the regional countries was the key factor that stepped up violence and extremism in the region… The unstable situation of the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, the Aden Gulf and the Red Sea as well as the threats posed by spread of violence and extremism including Daesh terrorism shows the need for reviewing US policies in the region," Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted as saying in a statement.

Commenting on Donald Trump's victory over his rival Hillary Clinton in Tuesday's US presidential election, the spokesman stressed that US policies have previously harmed Iran, stressing that these approaches must be evaluated with their importance for Iran in mind.

Earlier in the day, Iranian officials called on a new US administration to honor the deal the P5+1 nuclear deal. In July 2015, the P5+1 group of countries comprising the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom plus Germany, reached an agreement with Iran to ensure Tehran’s nuclear program remained peaceful in exchange for the relief of nuclear-related sanctions.

In mid-January, the sanctions were removed after the International Atomic Energy Agency verified Tehran’s compliance with the deal.

Trump has been critical of the agreement, repeatedly stating that it is a "bad deal" and threatened to repeal it after becoming president.