TEHRAN: - As Iran tries to calibrate how to
deal with President Trump, its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in
caustic comments to air force commanders, thanked the new American leader for
revealing “the real face” of the United States. “We are grateful to this
gentleman who has come!” Ayatollah Khamenei said, according to a report posted
on his official website.
Iranian officials have shown caution since
Mr. Trump took office last month; despite expressing anger at his policies and
comments, even hard-liners have taken care not to provoke the new American
president.
Mr. Trump included Iran on a list of seven
predominantly Muslim countries whose citizens have been barred from entering
the United States, and his national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, warned
Tehran last week that it had been put “on notice” after a missile test.
Washington also imposed new economic
sanctions on 25 people and entities after the missile launch, which Mr. Flynn
said violated a 2015 United Nations Security Council resolution that was
approved shortly after the United States and other world powers reached an
agreement with Iran on its nuclear program.
“The things we have been saying over the past
30-some years political, economic, moral and social corruption in the American
administration this man came and exposed them during his election campaign and
afterwards,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, according to the text of the speech.
He added that a report that a 5-year-old boy
had been handcuffed at Dulles International Airport, outside Washington, during
enforcement of the travel order “shows the real meaning of American human
rights.”
Although the boy was detained the White House
press secretary, Sean Spicer, said that “to assume that just because of someone’s
age or gender, or whatever, that they don’t pose a threat would be misguided
and wrong” he was apparently not handcuffed.
In a Twitter post on Friday, Mr. Trump said:
“Iran is playing with fire they don’t appreciate how ‘kind’ President Obama was
to them. Not me!” He took another swipe on Tuesday, accusing Iran of supporting
terrorism.
In his speech Tuesday, Khamenei resorted to
sarcasm in responding to Trump's Friday tweet, too. “The new U.S. president
says Iran should thank Obama!” he said. “Why?! Should we thank him for
[creating] ISIS, the ongoing wars in Iraq and Syria, or the blatant support for
the 2009 sedition in Iran?” He referred to domestic protests against a
presidential election that the opposition said was marred by fraud.
The 38th anniversary of the revolution that
turned Iran into an Islamic republic is Friday. Khamenei hinted that Iranians
should use the opportunity to join him in denouncing the United States, saying,
“The Iranian nation will respond to your comments with a demonstration on the
10th of February: They will show others what kind of stance the nation of Iran
takes when threatened.”
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