Iran fury: Hassan Rouhani calls for 'curses' on US, Israel and Saudi Arabia
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has called on the Iranian people to curse the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia, the Daily Express reported on Tuesday.
He argued the US, Saudi Arabia and “the Zionists”, referring to Israel, were to blame for the Islamic Republic's ongoing economic problems. Rouhani said: ”Put all your curses on those who created the current situation.” Referring to President Trump’s decision to walk away from the Nuclear treaty with Iran, Rouhani said the goal of the White House was to return to Tehran and “dominating the people.”
He added: “No one can defeat a nation which pursues resistance.
“They will never reach their goals.”
Radio Free Europe reported that Rouhani called for the curses during a recent televised address.
President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
The US president then reimposed sanctions on the Persian Gulf nation last year.
Trump had the backing of Saudi Arabia and Israel who both fear a nuclear-armed Iran.
The international treaty, which was signed by the U.S. under former President Barack Obama as well as by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the European Union, Russia and China, gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for it curbing its nuclear program.
Trump’s withdrawal came despite the international community’s and his own intelligence leaders’ assessment that the deal had effectively reduced Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei harshly criticized the renewal of sanctions.
He argued that the Trump administration was made up of “first-class idiots” and that their defeat would be “unprecedented.”
Washington has not had an official diplomatic presence in Tehran since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when ties were severed between the two countries.
Regionally, Saudi Arabia and Israel also see Iran as the biggest threat to their security, which has led them to put aside historic differences and quietly increase cooperation in an effort to counter the Islamic Republic’s influence.