TEHRAN, March 15 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed the U.S. arms sales to the Middle East for fueling conflicts, the state TV reported Thursday.

Washington takes advantage of the conflicts in the Middle East by flooding the troubled region with arms, Zarif said.

Most of the weapons sold to U.S. allies in the region end up in the hands of war criminals, the top Iranian diplomat said.

"The U.S. pumps some half of its arms exports into our region. The vast majority goes to inexperienced and adventurist leaders who are engaged in war crimes," Zarif added.

Zarif was reacting to a recent report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which shows the U.S. remains the top arms exporter in the world.

The report also reveals that nearly half, or 49 percent, of the total U.S. arms exports flew to the war-torn Middle East.