Newly re-elected Iran President Hassan Rouhani on Monday criticised United States President Donald Trump’s administration. Rouhani also undercut Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia, calling it “just a show”. Trump, who is on his first official foreign trip, had singled out Iran, saying the country “fuelled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror for decades.”
Rouhani, who just won the presidential election by a large margin, dismissed Trump’s remarks. Soon after Trump had signed a $110-million deal with Saudi, Rouhani said that terrorism could not be “solved through giving money to superpowers”, AP reported.
Rouhani also said Saudi had “never seen a ballot box” and that he hoped the US administration “settled down” some more, so that he could better understand it. Rouhani also said that the US “did not know our region”, AP reported. “Those who provide consultations or advice to the Americans, unfortunately, they are the rulers who either push America awry or with money, they just buy some people in America.” He added that the US “have always made mistakes in our region”.
He also questioned how stability can be restored in the region without Iran’s help, BBC reported. “Who can say regional stability can be restored without Iran? Who can say the region will experience total stability without Iran?” he asked.
Trump had begun his trip by coming down heavily on Iran and claiming it facilitates terror groups. Oil-rich Saudi had backed Trump’s remarks. “The Iranian regime represents the tip of the spear of global terrorism,” King Salaman had said.
The Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia, where the terrorists that carried out the September 11 attacks were from, is one of the US’ closest military allies. Iran, on the other hand, is led by the Shia sect, which has historically been at war with the Sunnis. On Sunday, Trump signed a $110-billion arms agreement with Saudi Arabia. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had said the deal in addition to other investments Washington makes in Riyadh could amount to a total of $350 billion.
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