TEHRAN - Iran’s envoy to the United Nations (UN) has described terror threats in the Middle East as the root cause of the ongoing refugee crisis in the world, saying the crisis will not be settled as long as countries fail to effectively root out terrorism and extremism.

Gholam-Ali Khoshroo, Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the world body, made the remarks on Monday during a UN General Assembly meeting on “global awareness of the tragedies of irregular migrants in the Mediterranean basin with specific emphasis on Syrian asylum seekers.”

He said, “The issue of the displaced and refugees should be resolved fundamentally, since refugees are signs that a problem exists, they are not the problem itself.”

The Iranian diplomat added that the refugees in the Mediterranean region are fleeing violence in their home countries. Most of that violence, he said, is caused by terrorist groups and extremists.(PressTV)