‘Angry, isolated US engaged in psywar campaign against Iran’

Rasa - Tehran has dismissed Washington’s latest tirade of threats against Iran as mere “psychological warfare,” saying the US administration’s “excessive anger” stems from its increasing isolation on the global stage.

News ID: 438808

Date: 24 July 2018 - 21:36

RNA - Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Washington’s outrage is rooted in the international community’s view on Iran and the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal – which the US unilaterally scrapped in May.

“The new circumstances the US is facing as an isolated country have raised excessive ire among the American rulers,” Qassemi said.

“Due to their lack of awareness about the depth of political affairs and diplomacy, some politicians use certain words, whose meaning they do not know,” the official said. “In today’s world, such manner of bragging amounts to idle talk, and does not warrant attention,” he added.

Following its much-criticized withdrawal from the Iran deal, the administration of US President Donald Trump has ramped up its tough rhetoric against Iran, threatening it with the “strongest sanctions in history.”

Recently, Trump threatened Iran with hardship “the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before” as Washington launched a new campaign meant to foment unrest in the Islamic Republic in cooperation with the regime in Tel Aviv.

Qassemi further said the US policies vis-à-vis Iran have failed, citing its withdrawal from the nuclear deal as one of Washington’s “strategic mistakes.”

The US administration assumed that it could provoke Tehran to pull out of the accord so Washington would be able to take action against the country at the United Nations Security Council, he said.

“The US actions faced defeat thanks to Iran’s awareness,” the official pointed out, adding that Washington has thus launched “a full-fledged psychological warfare” against the Islamic Republic.

Washington, he said, is seeking to demoralize Iranians and interfere with Iran's economy through threats so it can fan public discontent inside the country.

Under such perception, it has resorted to “desperate efforts, which will eventually fall through,” Qassemi said.

‘Tehran not to stand idly by’

Qassemi added that the Islamic Republic will decisively stand up to whatever threat or action targeting its interests, and “will not sit idly by.”

Tehran possesses the readiness to confront those threats and defend itself, the official said.

He went on to say that Iran has been contributing to regional peace and stability by fighting terrorism and ensuring regional security, including at the strategic Hormuz Strait – which is a chokepoint for 30 percent of global oil exports.

According to Press TV, Qassemi further dismissed the US threat to block Iran’s oil exports as a bluff, saying Washington had in the past failed to do so despite a related UN Security Council resolution that was in place.

“The current situation in the world is owed to the peace-seeking nature of the Islamic Republic, which has helped provide security for this region and the Persian Gulf waterway,” the spokesperson said.

“We will not be the ones taking any first adversarial step, but have the right to defend ourselves against whatever action targeting us in line with international principles,” Qassemi concluded.

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