Iran decries ‘repugnant’ Trump reaction to Tehran attacks

Iran decries ‘repugnant’ Trump reaction to Tehran attacks
Iran denounced US President Donald Trump's reaction to a deadly attack in Tehran as 'repugnant' after the US president claimed Iran is 'reaping what it sows'.
2 min read
08 June, 2017
At least 13 people were killed and more than 40 wounded in the attacks. [Getty]

Iran denounced US President Donald Trump's reaction to a deadly attack in Tehran as "repugnant" after he said the country is reaping what it sows.

At least 13 people were killed and more than 40 wounded in the attacks on Tehran's parliament and the shrine of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on Wednesday, the first claimed by the Islamic State group in Iran.

Trump said the US would "grieve and pray" for the victims, but added: "We underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote".

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to Twitter to condemn the remarks.

"Repugnant WH (White House) statement... as Iranians counter terror backed by US clients."

Trump's comments also brought strong criticism from Iranians on social media, who recalled their government's offers of support and the candlelight vigils held in Iran after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States.

"Iranians lit candles for you on 9/11. You kick them while they're down. Classy," tweeted Ali Ghezelbash, an Iranian business analyst.

Even as Washington expressed its condolences on Wednesday, the US Senate advanced legislation that would impose new sanctions on Iran, partly for what the bill described as the Iranian regime's "support for acts of international terrorism".

The Tehran attackers were identified as Iranians who had joined IS, the deputy secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Reza Seifollahi, said on state TV.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards accused Riyadh and Washington of being "involved" in Wednesday's attacks, drawing a link to Trump's recent visit to Saudi Arabia.

"For these two actions to happen... after this meeting means that the US and Saudi regimes had ordered their stooges to do this," Mohammad Hossein Nejat, deputy head of the Revolutionary Guards intelligence branch claimed, according to the Fars news agency.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attempted to play down the attacks, saying they would not have the slightest effect on "the will of the people".

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, meanwhile, said "terrorism is a global problem, and unity to fight extremism, violence and terrorism with regional and international cooperation is the most important need of today's world".

IS published a rare video in Persian in March, warning that it "will conquer Iran and restore it to the Sunni Muslim nation as it was before".