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US can no longer afford overseas military operations

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-17 20:34

BUENOS AIRES  -- The United States will no longer afford its large overseas military operations because of the failing US economy, Iranian Vice President Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi said in remarks published on Saturday.

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Hashemi, who was in Paraguay to attend the Paraguayan president's swearing-in ceremony, told the media that the worsening economic situation in the US could not be turned around in a short time and that its huge overseas military operations are also increasing pressures on the economy.

With an economic recession looming, the US will no longer afford to maintain a huge military presence overseas, he said.

Washington will sooner or later have to get its soldiers out of different countries such as Iraq, Hashemi said.

The Iranian government calls for an early pullout of US troops from Iraq so that its territorial integrity and sovereignty can be maintained, Hashemi said.

Hashemi arrived in Asuncion Thursday to attend Paraguayan President-elect Fernando Lugo's inauguration on Friday.