By Guido Lanfranchi.
Addressing the diplomatic and press corps in Joint Base Anacostia – Bolling, United States, US Special Representative for Iran Mr. Brian Hook showed “tangible evidence” of Iran’s “malign activities” in the Middle East, and urged the international community to support the US-led pressure campaign on Tehran.
The Iran Materiel Display (IMD), hosted by Joint Base Anacostia – Bolling, is a showcase of missiles, rifles, hand grenades and a number of other Iranian-made weapons collected by the United States and its allies in the region. Such exposition – US Special Representative for Iran Mr. Brian Hook explains – should be a warning for the international community: something should be done to curb Iran’s increasing military capabilities and its support for rebel groups throughout the Middle East.
In a conference at the IMD on November 29th, 2018, Mr. Hook invited the press and the diplomatic corps to observe the “tangible evidence” of Iran’s “malign activities”. In addition to a number of journalists and diplomatic staff from several countries, the Ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Israel attended the event, receiving a warm welcome from Mr. Hook.
In his remarks, Mr. Hook exposed some of the weapon systems displayed at the IMD, such as the surface-to-air missile Sayyad-2C, highlighting the danger of ballistic missiles development in Iran. Such increasingly sophisticated systems – Mr Hook stressed – could be a threat not only for US allies in the Middle East, but even for some European countries.
The US Special Representative also voiced the US’s concerns over Iran’s export of different types of weapons, ranging from missiles to small-size rifles, to an increasing number of groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Houthis. In particular, Mr. Hooks stressed the gravity of the situation in Yemen, regretting that a strong involvement of Iran in the conflict is not only affecting the Yemeni people, but also the security of the whole region.
Mr. Hook reiterated that the United States will continue to exert maximum pressure on the Iranian regime, in order to starve Tehran of the resources used to fund its “malign activities” throughout the Middle East. While the sanctions imposed by the US have already taken their toll on Iran – Mr. Hook noted – the US stands ready to impose further measures. The standoff continues.
——————————
The full video of Mr. Hook conference is accessible here: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/643891/state-department-briefs-press-irans-weapons-violations
