Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif highlighted the huge turnout in the Friday presidential election as a show of national power against Iran’s regional rivals.
“We obtain our stability not from ‘coalitions’ but from our people who —unlike many— do vote. Iranians must be respected and are ready to engage,” Zarif tweeted on Saturday.
Zarif was apparently referring to Saudi Arabia, which has been leading an Arab coalition in a military campaign in neighboring Yemen with the aim of restoring ousted president Abd-Rabbu Mansur Hadi to power.
At least 10,000 people have been killed and more than 3 million displaced in the Yemen war, now in its third year. Saudi Arabia is also a member of a western-backed coalition that provides support to Syria’s armed militant groups in their six-year fight to dislodge President Bashar al-Assad who is allied to Iran and Russia.
President Hassan Rouhani swept to victory with 23.5 million out of the 41 million plus total votes cast, extending his mandate for a second and last four-year term.
Add new comment
Read our comment policy before posting your viewpoints