Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that the U.S. military presence in Syria had been “illogical and a source of tension”, Iranian state news agency IRNA reported.

President Donald Trump has begun what will be a total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, declaring on Wednesday they have succeeded in their mission to defeat Islamic State and were no longer needed in the country.

“From the start, the entry and presence of American forces in the region has been a mistake, illogical and a source of tension, and a main cause of instability,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi was quoted by IRNA as saying.