Tehran says US ‘leading Mideast to disaster’ after deployment of Patriot air defenses to Iraq

Iran warned the US on Wednesday that it was leading the Middle East to disaster amid the coronavirus pandemic after it “deployed Patriot air defense missiles” to Iraq.

Washington had been in talks with Baghdad about the proposed deployment since January but it was not immediately clear whether it had secured its approval or not, AFP said. Tehran, which wields huge influence in its western neighbor, said that it had not.

The US deployment runs “counter to the official position of the Iraqi government, parliament and people,” a Foreign Ministry statement said.

It also called for a halt to “warmongering during the coronavirus outbreak” and warned that US military activities in the region could lead it to “instability and disaster.”