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Trump’s Allegations Cheap Political Ploy

The shameless remarks by the US president and ignoring the realities of Iran in its domestic and foreign policy and its role in the fight against terrorism reflect the depth of his ignorance
Trump’s Allegations Cheap Political Ploy
Trump’s Allegations Cheap Political Ploy

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed the hostile remarks of US President Donald Trump about Iran at a UN meeting of world leaders as "cheap" political stunt.

"His remarks, particularly where he mentioned the great Iranian nation, were cheap, empty rhetoric and are not worth a response," IRNA quoted Zarif as saying.

The top diplomat was reacting to Trump's speech during the UN General Assembly's General Debate on Tuesday.

The hawkish president repeated his anti-Iran accusations of undemocratic governance and terrorism sponsorship, which Tehran has vehemently denied.  

"The Iranian government masks a corrupt dictatorship behind the false guise of a democracy. It has turned a wealthy country with a rich history and culture into an economically depleted rogue state whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed and chaos. The longest-suffering victims of Iran's leaders are, in fact, its own people," he alleged.

Trump went on to accuse Iran of fueling the war in Yemen and undermining peace in the Middle East. It shows his myopic perception of realities on the ground where the US has sold arms worth billions of dollars to its ally Saudi Arabia that has killed thousands of Yemeni civilians and displaced millions to install its puppet president, Abd-Rabbuh Mansur Hadi.

Zarif dismissed Trump's allegations as "shameless" and "ignorant".

"The shameless and ignorant remarks of the US president and ignoring the realities of the Islamic Republic of Iran in its domestic and foreign policy and [its role] in the fight against terrorism reflect the depth of ignorance in his behavior and populist words," he said.

***Hate Speech

Zarif also posted a Twitter message, saying, "Trump's ignorant hate speech belongs in medieval times—not the 21st-century UN—unworthy of a reply. Fake empathy for Iranians fools no one."

In his maiden address at the annual event, Trump also asserted, "We cannot let [Iran] continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles, and we cannot abide by an agreement if it provides cover for the eventual construction of a nuclear program."

He saved his harshest words for the 2015 pact reached after two years of painstaking talks by Iran and six major world powers under which Tehran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.

"The Iran deal was one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into. Frankly, that deal is an embarrassment to the United States, and I don't think you've heard the last of it," Trump said.

His chief diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, went further, telling Fox News that the agreement must be changed or the United States could not stick with it, Reuters reported.

Tillerson said the "sunset" clauses, under which some of the deal's restrictions on Iran's nuclear program expire from 2025, were of particular concern.

"If we're going to stick with the Iran deal, there has to be changes made to it. The sunset provisions simply are not a sensible way forward," he said.

"It's just simply ... kicking the can down the road again for someone in the future to have to deal with," he added.

***Essential to Peace

In contrast, French President Emmanuel Macron praised the agreement during his speech and said it was inconceivable to abandon it.

"Renouncing it would be a grave error, not respecting it would be irresponsible, because it is a good accord that is essential to peace at a time where the risk of an infernal conflagration cannot be excluded," Macron said.

The French president said he understood US concerns but thought the way to address them was to open up a negotiation designed to extend limits on Tehran's nuclear program beyond 2025.

Macron and other supporters of the accord say weakening or scrapping the deal would add fuel to a regional powder keg and deter North Korea from negotiating on its nuclear program.

The July 14, 2015, accord aims, for a decade, to extend the amount of time it would theoretically take Iran to produce enough fissile material for an atomic bomb, the so-called breakout time, from several months to a minimum of one year.

Tehran has always rejected western allegations of military dimensions to its nuclear program, saying it has peaceful purposes only. Regular inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency have confirmed Iran's compliance with the deal.

Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani said Trump's stance will fail to appeal to the world's public opinion and will only deal another blow to the credibility of international agreements.

"Such remarks … would be dismissed as insignificant by the international community and would not convey any message and would only bring discredit on global bodies," Shamkhani said.  

The US president must decide by Oct. 15 whether to certify that Iran is complying with the pact, a decision that could sink the deal.

If he does not certify it, the US Congress has 60 days to decide whether to re-impose sanctions waived under the deal.

The five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany and Iran, signatories of the pact, were to meet on Wednesday at the ministerial level.

 

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