The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs lashed out at U.S. President Donald Trump’s “baseless, irresponsible, and shameful accusations” in his speech to the Israeli Knesset.
In his speech, Trump had hailed the U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran earlier this year, saying “many of Iran’s top terrorists” have been “extinguished from this earth”. Trump also said Iran is just trying to survive rather than rebuild its nuclear program after a “big hit”. He urged Tehran to “renounce terror” and make peace with Israel—a major component of lasting peace in the Middle East.
Trump was visiting the region to compound and celebrate a historic peace deal he brokered to end the devastating war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas and lay the foundations for what could become a durable peace in the Middle East—if his 20-point plan is implemented and does not collapse as previous efforts have. The fragile plan, holding for now, is in its early phases.
“America, as the largest producer of terrorism in the world and a supporter of the terrorist and child-killing Zionist regime, has no moral qualification to accuse others,” said the Iranian statement, originally in Farsi.
“The Iranian people, with deep respect for the eternal hero of Iran and the region, Martyr General Qassem Soleimani—who played a decisive role in combating terrorism produced by America and ISIS—neither forgive nor forget the American war criminals and their accomplices in that terrorist act.”
During his first term, Trump had ordered the assassination of Soleimani as the top Iranian general visited Baghdad, Iraq.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates that repeating false claims about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program cannot justify the United States’ and the Zionist regime’s joint crimes, aggressions, and confessions to terrorism and the assassination of Iran’s sons on Iranian soil,” the statement continued.
Trump had told the Knesset on Monday that “neither the United States nor Israel bear the people of Iran any hostility.”
“We merely want to live in peace. We don’t want any looming threats over our heads. And we don’t want to even think in terms of nuclear destruction. It’s not going to happen. Never will happen,” Trump said, referring to Iran developing a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran denies holding.
“There’s nothing that would do more good for this part of the world than for Iran’s leaders to renounce terror, stop threatening their neighbors, quit funding their militant proxies, and finally recognize Israel’s right to exist. They have to do that. They have to do that.
“And to Iran—and as you know, this is not said out of weakness, there’s no weakness—but I’m going to say this: That we are ready when you are, and it will be the best decision that Iran has ever made. And it’s going to happen.”
This is a developing article. Updates to follow.