FM Zarif:

Terrorist Label Best Fit for Donald Trump

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif lashed out at US President Donald Trump for labeling the Iranian nation as terrorist, saying that the American president is the most deserving to be labeled as terrorist.

News ID: 445051

Date: 26 May 2019 - 16:51

RNA - Zarif, in an address to reporters at the end of his Friday meetings with the high-ranking Pakistani officials, condemned the US President’s move in calling the Iranian people as “terrorist nation”, saying only Trump deserves to be called “terrorist”.

He made the remarks commenting on Trump’s Thursday remarks of offensive and pejorative nature.

“Trump showed with his recent remarks that he neither knows history, nor does he know the Iranian nation,” the Irainan diplomatic chief added, noting that Trump’s comments showed that his claims on support for the Iranian people were a big lie.

The foreign minister said the meetings in Islamabad on Friday focused on the US anti-Iran actions particularly its economic war on Iran and the Americans’ economic pressures, describing them as kind of ‘economic terrorism.’

The top diplomat added that he had also discussed ways to confront US bullying behavior. He added that the two sides shared the same viewpoint on the necessity of cooperation among the Islamic countries to confront the plots designed by the US and Israeli Zionist regime for the region.

Saying that, in the meetings with Pakistani officials, border issues between the two countries were also discussed, Zarif added that the two sides agreed to have more cooperation in that regard.

Zarif went on saying that Pakistanis also promised to spare no efforts to return the remaining abducted border guards, who have not yet been released yet.

On Monday, Zarif blasted US President Donald Trump for his threats against Iran, stressing ineffectiveness of Washington's attempts to defeat the country.

Zarif in furious response reacted to Trump's recent threat on twitter that a fight with the US would be the "official end of Iran" if Iran wants to fight, replying in a tweet that the US president is "goaded by B-Team (John Bolton, the US national security advisor, Bibi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed)".

He added that Trump "hopes to achieve what Alexander, Genghis and other aggressors failed to do (against Iran)", adding that Iranians have stood tall for millennia while aggressors (have) all gone.

Zarif underlined that "economic terrorism and genocidal taunts won't end Iran", saying, "Never threaten an Iranian. Try respect — it works!"

As the US administration seeks to intimidate Tehran into talks, Iranians have remained adamant, stressing that no war is in the offing although the country's military forces are fully ready to provide a crushing response in defense if they ever come under strike.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei told a gathering of senior Iranian officials that he saw no possibility of war between Tehran and Washington, adding that the recent US military buildup in the region only aimed at frightening Iran to yield to the White House demands, but Iran stands strong.

Addressing the heads of the country’s executive, judiciary, and legislative branches as well as other senior officials, parliamentarians, and important figures in the country’s political, social, and cultural spheres earlier this month, Ayatollah Khamenei ruled out the possibility of war between the United States and Iran despite heightened tensions between the two sides, saying Washington knows engaging in such a conflict would not be in its interest.

The Leader further said any confrontation between the US and Iran would not be “a military one,” and that “there was not going to be any war”.

“The Iranian nation’s definite option will be resistance in the face of the US, and in this confrontation, the US would be forced into a retreat,” Ayatollah Khamenei said. “Neither we nor they, who know war will not be in their interest, are after war.”

Ayatollah Khamenei further explained that the confrontation between the two sides is “a clash of wills,” asserting that Iran would be the ultimate victor of this battle.

The Leader ruled out any negotiation with the US as long as Washington sticks with its hostile approach against the Islamic Republic, saying Washington would be attempting to undermine Iran’s “points of strength,” such as its defensive power or its strategic regional influence, in any such interaction.

As an example, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “They (Americans) say we should negotiate over your (Iran’s) defensive weapons, (questioning) why do you build (for instance) a missile with a given range. Reduce the range (of your missiles, they say,) so you would not be able to hit our bases.”

The Leader further played down Washington’s highly belligerent rhetoric against Iran, saying its real capability did not match its loud bluster, and that it “needs to engage in (such bluster).”

According to Fars News Agancy, Ayatollah Khamenei said Washington gives priority to Israel’s interests over the benefits of all others, adding, “The control of many affairs rests in the hands of the Zionist society.”

The Leader pointed to the absence of integrity in the US administration, noting how various American officials contradict each other on a daily basis. The American society, he added, is also afflicted with rampant socioeconomic problems and violence.

Ayatollah Khamenei, meanwhile, also highlighted how Washington’s policies regarding Europe and Asia had backfired.

“In (its) policy of confrontation with the Islamic Republic too, the US will definitely suffer defeat, and (the situation) will end up to our benefit,” the Leader said, citing warnings by American analysts that Washington’s pressure on Tehran would, contrary to its intended purpose, trigger an “economic mutation”.

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