TEHRAN, Sep. 13 (MNA) – An Iranian lawmaker advised the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region not to pursue the interests of the Zionist regime.

“We suggest the small countries of the region not fall prey to the whims of the Zionist regime and, instead, strengthen their relations with the big and influential regional states,” Abbas Moghtadaei, deputy chairman of the Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission told Mehr News on Sunday.

Reacting to the recent normalization of ties between Bahrain and the Zionist regime, Moghtadaei said, "The United States has been pursuing the normalization of relations between small Persian Gulf littoral states and the fake Zionist regime in the past weeks; the main reason behind such a move is to fulfill Washington’s wish to control the oil resources of the Arab countries more than before.”

Referring to the US president’s struggles to win the upcoming presidential elections, the lawmaker said, "Donald Trump, in order to win the US election and make up for his failures, seeks to create an election shock and convince the Zionist lobby that he can serve the interests of the Zionists more than any other country.”

"That is why the United States seeks to normalize ties between the Persian Gulf countries and the Zionist regime.”

“This process is also followed by the dependent Arab governments. However, such moves are not backed by their nations at all,” he added.

Moghtadaei called on “the small countries in the region” not to follow the wishes of the Zionist regime, adding, “Good neighborliness requires such countries to strengthen their relations with large and influential countries in the region, including Iran.”

"We believe that the more the American pressure increases, the more the nations of the region will be awakened; although the US may gain benefits in the short term, in the long run such pressures will be of no avail.”

He stressed, “Such interferences will only lead to the cutting the hands of the US in the region and make the resistance against the Zionist regime stronger.”

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