Zarif: the United States supports 'dictators, butchers and extremists' in the Middle East
Trump uses State of the Union to attack Teheran, “the world’s leading state sponsor of terror” . Immediate response from Iran: US policies have only "brought ruin to our region" and Tehran points to progress made and the presence of a Jewish community.
Teheran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The United States is the first supporters of "dictators, butchers and extremists" in the Middle East. This is what Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet, in response to the words uttered by US President Donald Trump yesterday during the traditional State of the Union address to Congress.
In recent months there has been an escalation of tension between Washington and Tehran, fueled by Trump’s decision last May to withdraw from the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) wanted by Obama and his introduction of the toughest sanctions in history against Tehran.
A decision that led to a significant drop in the Iranian economy - confirmed by IMF studies - and a collapse in oil prices, the goal of the second part of the sanctions in force since 4 November. Recently, activists, intellectuals and religious leaders have launched a campaign against the "belligerent" policy of the White House towards the Islamic Republic.
Tehran’s head of diplomacy writes: “ US hostility has led it to support dictators, butchers & extremists, who’ve only brought ruin to our region”. Zarif, was responding to Trump’s claim that Iran is “the world’s leading state sponsor of terror ". The White House tenant added that his administration acted decisively to counter Tehran.
“It is a radical regime. They do bad, bad things,” Trump said. “We will not avert our eyes from a regime that chants ‘death to America’ and threatens genocide against the Jewish people.” In itself, Trump's words perfectly fit the period of the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013). The anti-US and anti-Zionist rhetoric has almost disappeared with the current presidency of Hassan Rouhani.
Zarif responded by saying that Iran, including its Jewish community, was commemorating progress as it prepares to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Islamic revolution on Monday. Last year on the occasion of the New Year the same Zarif had addressed a message of good wishes, pointing out the distinction between the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
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