Israeli Arab youths clash with policemen at Kfar Kanna village in north Israel on Nov. 9, 2014. (Xinhua File photo)

TEHRAN, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Sunday that the West has turned the Middle East into a "powder keg" through arms sales to the Arab countries in the region, Press TV reported.

Over the past year alone, the West sold weapons worth 100 billion U.S. dollars to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said Zarif.

"The weapons did not bring security to anyone," he added.

The Iranian minister made the remarks in a foreign policy speech at the University of Tehran.

Since the United States withdrew from the 2015 landmark Iranian nuclear deal last May, Iran has been under unprecedented sanctions from Washington.

Iran has also repeatedly denied the West's criticism of its alleged "interfering" policies in the region.