Iran president says US 'leader of world terrorism'

Iran president says US 'leader of world terrorism' https://ift.tt/2tquErD TEHRAN: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday accused the United States of being the real "leader of world terrorism", hitting back after Washington blacklisted Iran´s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation.Tehran was quick to retaliate on Monday by declaring US troops "terrorists" following Washington´s move, which was welcomed by Iran´s regional arch-rivals Israel and Saudi Arabia.It was the first time that Washington has branded part of a foreign government a terrorist group, meaning that anyone who deals with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could face prison in the United States."Who are you to label revolutionary institutions as terrorists?" an angry Rouhani demanded in a speech broadcast live by state television.Rouhani hailed the Guards for fighting terrorism since their creation in 1979, and accused US forces of having always been involved with terrorist groups or acts of terrorism."You want to use terrorist groups as tools against the nations of the region... you are the leader of world terrorism."Who is propagating and encouraging terrorism in today´s world? Who wanted to use ISIS (the Islamic State group) as a tool?" Rouhani asked, saying that the US is "hiding" the leaders of the  militant organisation.The Revolutionary Guards are the ideological arm of the country´s military and deeply embedded in Iranian political and economic life.Iran´s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the Guards on their National Day, saying they were at the "forefront´ of defending the country and its interests, according to his official website.He lashed out at US officials, saying: "Their vice and deceit will return boomerang on them, leading the enemies of the Islamic Republic such as (US President Donald) Trump and those around him at the US ruling apparatus to go down the drain."

April 09, 2019 at 04:32AM