Iran: US trying to foment tensions, crises in the Middle East

Washington "has once again resorted to the failed policy of Iran-phobia, trying to create tensions and crises in the region", Tehran has said.

Sunday's statement by Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani came a day after US President Joe Biden ended his tour to the Middle East, during which he visited Saudi Arabia and Israel.

Biden vowed on Saturday that the United States would not "tolerate efforts by any country to dominate another in the region through military buildups, incursions, and/or threats", in a transparent reference to Iran.

Biden's first Middle East visit came just a few days before a trilateral meeting between Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tehran on July 19.

Biden, in a speech in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah at a summit that brought together the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, assured Arab leaders that Washington would remain fully engaged in the Middle East.

"We will not walk away and leave a vacuum to be filled by China, Russia or Iran," Biden said.

READ: US vows not to allow Iran atomic weapon, stresses 'unbreakable' Israel ties

'False allegations'

Following the meeting, a joint statement committed the leaders to "preserve regional security and stability", underscoring diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

It also notably called for enhanced joint deterrence capabilities "against the increasing threat" posed by unmanned aerial vehicles — a likely reference to Tehran, which unveiled on Friday ships and submarines capable of carrying armed drones.

Tehran, which denies seeking to build a nuclear bomb, dismissed on Sunday the comments made in Jeddah. "These false allegations are in line with Washington's seditious policy...in the region," Kanani said.

Biden began his regional tour on Wednesday in Israel, before visiting occupied West Bank and then flying to Saudi Arabia.

In Israel, Biden signed a security pact reinforcing a common front against Iran, where the president vowed to use "all" US power to stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Kanani said the pact was a "great sign of the deception and hypocrisy" of the US, because "they turn a blind eye to the Zionist (Israel) regime as...the greatest holder of the arsenal of nuclear weapons in the region".

Israel is widely believed to hold the Middle East's sole but undeclared nuclear arsenal.

A landmark deal that imposed curbs on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief was undermined in 2018 by former US president Donald Trump's withdrawal.

Efforts to revive the accord have stalled since March.

READ MORE: Biden: US could use force to stop Iran from developing nuclear bomb