The president of the Supreme National Defense University of Iran questioned the sincerity of new US President Donald Trump’s campaign promises about counter-terrorism, saying that his administration is fully backing Israel which is “the biggest state sponsor of terrorism.”
“Today, the US is providing all-out support for the biggest state sponsor of terrorism, which is the Zionist regime [of Israel],” Ahmad Vahidi, a former defense minister, also told Tasnim News Agency on Monday. He emphasized that the honesty of US officials will become clear in practice rather than in words. The remarks came after US Defense Secretary James Mattis called Iran “the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world” in his first comments on the country on Saturday.
The Islamic Republic and the new US administration have engaged in tit-for-tat exchanges since Trump signed an executive order on January 27 temporarily banning nationals from seven Muslim-majority nations, including Iran, from entering the US.
On Friday, Washington added more Iranian individuals and entities to its anti-Iran sanction list.
In reply, Iran’s Foreign Ministry vowed to take reciprocal action against American individuals and companies with a role in creating and supporting extremist groups in the region.
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