On January 30, President Donald Trump expressed support for Iranian protestors and urged Congress to fix perceived flaws in the nuclear deal during his first State of the Union address.
“When the people of Iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship, I did not stay silent. America stands with the people of Iran in their courageous struggle for freedom.”
“I am asking the Congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible Iran nuclear deal.”
Trump has threatened to withdraw from the deal if Congress and the European parties to the agreement – Britain, France, Germany and the European Union – cannot find a way to address Iran’s ballistic missile program and impose more stringent limits on its nuclear program.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif criticized Trump’s remarks in a tweet.
Trump again confirms his ignorance of Iran & region. Everyone knows where he stands; and it's certainly not with Iranians. His 'virtuous', ‘democratically- elected' clients in our region may cheer, but not those on receiving end of their tyranny & weapons, incl Yemeni children.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 31, 2018
On February 1, Rouhani questioned U.S. support for the Iranian people in a speech to residents of Sirjan in Kerman province.
Among the kind & courageous people of #Sirjan:
— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) February 1, 2018
The White House shows fake sympathy toward Iranian people while confiscating their assets and even preventing their access to medicine for years. They are not fooling anyone. pic.twitter.com/AuZbeO9aGn
“Today, you in Washington think about the Iranian people and sympathize with them? If you are honest, give back people’s assets that you plundered. You kept the Iranian people under sanctions for years; were your sanctions for or against the people? You even imposed sanctions on medicine and plundered people’s assets, how can you say you are sympathetic towards the Iranian nation?”
“Can you, who have stood against our Muslim people and call them terrorists, claim to have been supporting the Iranian nation?”
“The day [Iraqi] Baathist invaders attacked out country and savagely used chemical weapons against out innocent people, none of you were thinking about the Iranian nation and it was the Iranian nation itself who drove the aggressors out of the country with devotion and sacrifice”.
“Today as well, the Iranian nation is readier more than ever to defend the independence, national sovereignty, security and progress and stand against enemies.”
Click here for a transcript of Trump’s speech.