29 May, 2017
Supporters of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attend an election rally in Tehran on May 9.
President Trump missed an opportunity to address some of the core issues responsible for numerous region's worst problems, says former US Ambassador Gary Grappo. Such moves by the Trump administration would provide Iranian conservatives with ample ammunition to target Rouhani's policies.
"Remarks by enemy about Iran's missile power result from their ignorance", Rouhani was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency.
Rouhani also criticised Saudi Arabia, Tehran's main regional rival, just hours after Trump departed the country bound for Israel. After all, despite significant weakening of the sanctions regime, reached under Hassan Rouhani, the Iranian economy has been under serious strain because of a long period of low energy prices. With this dual policy of engaging and defying the West, Iran also balances internal pulls between the reformers and the hardliners. Arguably the world's only theocracy, the Iranian system requires reconciling the demands of a rapidly changing twenty-first-century economy with the traditional values of spiritual leaders and aging clergymen.
Speaking about the outcome of Iran's May 19 presidential election, he said that the United Nations has an excellent working relationship with the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The Trump administration shares these concerns, and Iran was a major topic during his visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel.
In this context, the targeting of Iran as the principal enemy and the political and military bolstering of Saudi Arabia by the U.S. and its allies aggravate the challenges that the global community faces from Islamic extremism.
"Addressing Trump and his [accompanying] delegation and reporters, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Iran does not deserve a respectful behaviour", Parastouei noted.
As a presidential candidate, Trump had vilified Muslims, both at home and overseas, threatened to charge the Saudis for America's "protection" of the kingdom, called for downsizing America's military presence in the region, and promised to cancel the landmark but highly controversial P5+1 nuclear arms accord with Iran.
"I hope we can enjoy more freedom and security in the next four years", said one, Ramin Mirzai, a 21-year-old Tehran University student.
It was a odd coincidence that on the very day Iran was celebrating the triumph of popular vote by re-electing a moderate President, Trump was in Riyadh bowing and curtseying to the Saudi King Salman to receive a gold medallion, the highest civilian honour from the Kingdom, an act for which he had labelled his predecessor Barack Obama as "slavish". Whereas authoritarian states are notorious for their unwillingness to lose elections, in Iran the democratic opposition can not abide defeat.
But Rouhani's interpretation of Iran's challenges is far more convincing. It points out, for instance, that a ballistic missile tested by Iran last summer was apparently an improvement upon North Korea's Musudan missile.
"Unfortunately, under the hostile and aggressive policies of the American statesmen, we are witnessing a renewed strengthening of terrorist groups in the region and miscalculation of the dictatorships which support these groups", Qassemi said. Despite record oil revenues, GDP contracted by almost 7 percent in 2012 and annual inflation rose above 40 percent, after the near-collapse of the Iranian currency (the rial).