Hostile rhetoric between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his US counterpart Donald Trump has left its impact on Tehran on Monday, both politically and economically.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi also attacked US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s remarks in which he compared the highest level of Iran’s government to a “mafia”.
"Regime leaders -- especially those at the top of the IRGC and the Quds Force like Qasem Soleimani -- must be made to feel painful consequences of their bad decision making," the top US diplomat said, referring to Iran's special forces and Revolutionary Guards.
“The US secretary of state’s hypocritical and absurd speech was only a propaganda exercise and showed the unlimited desperation of the US administration more than ever,” Qassemi reportedly said.
“These remarks are a clear example of the country’s [the United States’] interference in Iran’s internal affairs and exactly in line with its long-term destabilizing and destructive policies in the region, which are in violation of its international obligations,” Qassemi added.
“These statements more than ever reveal the utter helplessness of the US government after its illegal withdrawal from the nuclear deal and its failure to achieve the goals of this unwise and one-sided move which made Washington globally isolated,” Mehr news agency quoted him as saying.
Commenting on Pompeo’s statements on the Iranian people, Qassemi said that the remarks of the US secretary of state show that he is still deprived of the necessary knowledge and understanding of the past and present of Iranians.
“Before making any assessment and judgment about other nations and societies in the world, the American officials need to have enough knowledge, reasoning and a deep understanding of the realities of these societies,” he added.
The verbal attack reached its peak on Sunday when Rouhani threatened to target many straits, including Hormuz, in response to oil sanctions against his country that take effect in November. He also warned Trump from playing with fire, saying that war with Iran would be “the mother of wars.”
In a similar report, Reuters and AFP said that "many Iranians are very skeptical about Trump administration’s support for Iranian citizens because of the harsh US sanctions on the country and a visa ban that prevents Iranians from entering the United States.”
Many Iranian civilians fear the war of words will lead to a military confrontation, but Reuters quoted insiders in Tehran as saying the administration "will not drag the country into another quagmire in the Middle East.”
Despite public discontent over Iran's faltering economy, currency slide and the prospect of tough new US sanctions, Iran's leaders still call for unity.
Commander of the IRGC Basij force Gholamhossein Gheybparvar said that Trump’s threats were part of a “psychological war.”
“He is not in a position that would allow him to move against Iran,” he continued.
“Those who fear the psychological war waged by this crazy president know that America will only be satisfied when it sees our annihilation,” he continued.
“The Iranian people and armed forces will confront our enemies and achieve their goals,” he warned.
