WASHINGTON (JTA) — In a late-night all-caps tweet, President Donald Trump warned Iranian president Hassan Rouhani of “consequences few have suffered” if he threatens the United States.
“NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE,” Trump tweeted at 10:24 pm Sunday. “WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!”
Rouhani, a day earlier, had warned the Trump administration against continuing its intensifying hostility toward Iran. In May, Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran. Trump’s administration is now engaged in an effort to convince other nations to join in the renewed sanctions.
“Mr. Trump, don’t play with the lion’s tail, this would only lead to regret,” IRNA, the state-run news wire, quoted Rouhani as saying. “America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars.”
Additionally, the United States has launched an information war against Iran, urging its citizens to rise up against the repressive regime. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday evening addressed a crowd of Iranian Americans and said that the country is ruled by a corrupt elite that is oppressing and impoverishing ordinary Iranians.
“I have a message for the people of Iran: the United States hears you,” Pompeo said in the speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. “The United States supports you. The United States is with you,”
Iranian officials have said Iran may shut down the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for much of the world’s oil, should the U.S. continue its pressure.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Trump for his “strong stance” on Iran.
Speaking at his weekly Cabinet meeting Monday, Netanyahu said that Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who harshly criticized Iran’s leaders in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Sunday, were taking a clear position against “Iranian aggression” after years in which the “regime was pampered by world powers,” the Associated Press reported.
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