An Iranian lawmaker said that the deployment of NATO's Patriot missiles on the Turkey-Syria border could fuel arms race in the region, Press TV reported on Sunday.

Vahid Ahmadi, a member of Iran's Majlis (parliament) National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said that the presence of foreign forces in Muslim countries has always "caused problems" among Muslim states.

The deployment of Patriot missiles is also "harmful" to Turkey and would not ensure its security, Ahmadi said, adding that the West seeks its own interests through the presence of NATO forces in the region and "does not recognize" the interests of other countries.

NATO recently approved to send six Patriot missile batteries from the United States, Germany and the Netherlands to Turkey to be operational by the end of January 2013. The 21-month protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have turned increasingly bloody, with heavy fighting often erupting along Syria's border with Turkey. Endi

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)