U.S. presence in Middle East causes insecurity, division: Iranian FM spokesman

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U.S. presence in Middle East causes insecurity, division: Iranian FM spokesman

2025-12-08 11:09 Last Updated At：16:27

The presence of the United States in the Middle East has caused insecurity and division, as it is an accomplice to Israel in committing crimes in the region, according to Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesman for Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

When commenting on Iran-U.S. relations and the actions of the United States in this region at a press conference, Baghaei said the U.S. has been interfering in Iran's internal affairs, as what they call a "regime change" is actually a violation to Iran's state sovereignty.

In addition, Baghaei noted that the National Security Strategy recently published by the United States clearly shows that it places its status above that of other countries. The report also indicates that the U.S. government is an accomplice to Israel's crimes in the region.

"The United States has been focusing all its efforts on enabling Israel's dominance in this region. This has shown that the U.S. is conspiring with Israel in the crimes committed by Israel," said Baghaei.

Meanwhile, he condemned the insecurity and division caused by the United States in the region. Baghaei emphasized that Iran will continue strengthening its own defense capability, and called for other countries to be wary of U.S. activities.

Departure tax refund applications in China surge 285 pct in Jan-Nov

The number of overseas tourists claiming China's departure tax refund surged 285 percent year on year in the first 11 months of 2025, according to data released by the State Taxation Administration on Monday.

In the same period, the sales volume of goods eligible for departure tax refunds and the amount of tax refunds both increased 98.8 percent, according to the data. By the end of November, the number of tax refund stores catering to international visitors in the country had reached 12,252, including over 7,000 "instant refund" stores.

The departure tax refund measures, which enable overseas tourists to claim back value-added tax on eligible purchases made at designated tax refund stores before leaving China, are translating growing inbound travel flows into consumption momentum and emerging as a fresh driver for inbound tourism spending, the administration said.

China has introduced a series of measures since April to optimize its tax refund system for overseas visitors. Tax authorities nationwide have improved processing efficiency and enabled cross-region refund services, making the procedure more convenient and thus boosting tourists' spending.

The country first implemented the departure tax refund policy for overseas travelers in 2015. Since then, the scale of departure tax refunds has continued to grow year by year, benefiting an increasing number of international travelers.