Tehran calls on Washington to apologize for ‘previous crimes’ against Iran, claims regional ‘crisis’ led to shootdown of airliner

The United States should acknowledge its past crimes against Iran, Tehran has said, adding that Washington has fueled instability in the Middle East.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at the US during a televised speech on Wednesday, calling on Washington to make amends for its actions in the region.

His comments came as Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a security conference in New Delhi that the Islamic Republic is not interested in negotiating with the US.

US President Donald Trump has proposed a “Trump deal” to replace the largely defunct 2015 nuclear accord, but Zarif argued that anything Washington proposed would likely fall short of the previous agreement. Tehran has urged the US to return to the original accord.

The foreign minister also said the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian airliner near Tehran was the result of the “crisis,” and that measures must be taken to ensure that similar military standoffs are avoided in the future.

Zarif repeated Tehran’s claim that the fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) suffered a major setback when the US assassinated Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Iran retaliated by launching missiles at several Iraqi bases housing US troops.

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