Iranian president accuses America of using war against terrorism as a ‘pretext’ to discriminate against all Muslims
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday evening joined the wave of criticism of Donald Trump’s call for a ban on Muslims entering the US, saying that the remarks were hypocritical as the US supports terror, Reuters reported.
Rouhani, considered a relative pragmatist, criticized the famously bombastic Republican candidate during a cabinet meeting, without mentioning him by name.
“Under the pretext of fighting terrorism, some people are proposing that Muslims should not be permitted to enter other countries. We regret such remarks about Muslims,” he said in comments carried by Iranian state television.
“This is while they themselves are among the sponsors and supporters of terrorism … and they are supporting terrorists.”
Iran in July signed a deal over its nuclear program with world powers spearheaded by the US, but the two countries have locked horns over the Syrian civil war, where the US insists that President Bashar Assad step down.
Iran, Assad’s strongest regional ally, labels all anti-regime rebels as “terrorists,” while Washington backs the anti-Assad opposition. However, the two countries face a common enemy in Sunni terror group Islamic State.
Trump’s comments have been condemned by virtually every ally of the US. Earlier Wednesday, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said it rejected Trump’s comments but confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be meeting Trump later this month when he visits Israel.
In a statement rejecting Trump’s comments, officials at the office stressed that Netanyahu has a policy of meeting every American candidate that visits the country and asks to meet him, and that the meeting did not constitute endorsement of Trump or of his comments.
As reported by The Times of Israel