Iran's Ex-Minister: US Backing Israeli Regime as Biggest State Sponsor of Terrorism
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The president of the Supreme National Defense University of Iran questioned sincerity of new US President Donald Trump’s campaign promises about counter-terrorism, saying that his administration is fully backing Israel which is “the biggest state sponsor of terrorism”.
“Today, the US is providing all-out support for the biggest state sponsor of terrorism which is the Zionist regime (of Israel),” Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, who is a former defense minister, told the Tasnim News Agency.
He further emphasized that the honesty of the US officials will become clear in practice rather than in words.
The remarks came after US Defense Secretary James Mattis called Iran "the single biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the world" in his first comments on the country Saturday.
The Islamic Republic and the new US administration have engaged in tit-for-tat exchanges since Trump signed an executive order on January 27 banning nationals temporarily from seven Muslim-majority nations, including Iran, from entering the US.
Earlier on Friday, Washington added more Iranian individuals and entities to its anti-Iran sanction list. The US Treasury Department said it has published a list of 13 Iranian figures and 12 entities facing new sanctions.
In reply, Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the measure and vowed to take reciprocal action against American individuals and companies with a role in creating and supporting extremist groups in the region.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the list of the targeted American figures and companies will be released later.