The US state department has on Friday said, the United States was planning to jointly host a global conference, aimed to focus on the Middle East, especially on Iran, to be expected next month in Poland.
According to news reported by Fox News, in an official statement, the state department said the meeting might take place on February 13-14 in Warsaw.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has refused to attend the planned global event calling it a “desperate anti-Iran circus”.
In an interview with Fox News on Friday, the US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said the meeting would “focus on Middle East stability and peace and freedom and security here in this region, and that includes an important element of making sure that Iran is not a destabilizing influence”.
Pompeo further said the meeting would “bring together dozens of countries from all around the world, from Asia, from Africa, from Western Hemisphere countries, Europe too, the Middle East of course”.
Pompeo, who was on an eight-day tour to the Middle East, said during the tour that the US is “redoubling” its efforts to push Iran to convince allies to stay committed to fighting Islamic State in Syria despite the withdrawal of the US troops from the region, an announcement made by the US President Donald Trump last month.
In an official statement, Polish Foreign Minister Jacek Czaputowicz said while his nation supported efforts by European Union to maintain the nuclear deal, the agreement “does not stop Iran from activities destabilizing the region”, and that he hoped the conference meeting would bring closer the US and EU position.
Jacek said more than 70 countries were invited to the meeting as well as all EU members.
In a tweet, Iran’s Zarif wrote: “Reminder to host/participants of an anti-Iran conference: those who attended last U.S. anti-Iran show are either dead, disgraced, or marginalized. And Iran is stronger than ever.”
He further wrote: “While Iran saved Poles in WWII, it now hosts desperate anti-Iran circus.”
Reminder to host/participants of anti-Iran conference: those who attended last US anti-Iran show are either dead, disgraced, or marginalized. And Iran is stronger than ever.
Polish Govt can't wash the shame: while Iran saved Poles in WWII, it now hosts desperate anti-Iran circus. pic.twitter.com/iOOvhgtUsL— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 11, 2019
The US state department statement stated: “The ministerial will address a range of critical issues including terrorism and extremism, missile development and proliferation, maritime trade and security, and threats posed by proxy groups across the region.”