A high-ranking Iranian politician has unloaded on three of the top US officials, saying their “mindless” behavior paints the US government as being dangerous for rivals, unreliable for allies and incompetent for the people.
Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council took aim at US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook in a series of tweets on Friday.
“The rule of the incompetent and mindless is only a source of danger,” Shamkhani said before proceeding to call the Americans by name.
Shamkhani, a rear admiral in the naval arm of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, didn’t explain why he singled out the three, but recent US-Iranian history provides a clue. Since he assumed office, the US president has urged that toughness be applied to Iran. He dramatically raised the stakes in 2018, when he withdrew from the “worst-ever” 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, re-imposing sweeping sanctions. He has been pursuing a “maximum pressure” policy since then.
Likewise, Pompeo spearheaded the effort to isolate and suppress Tehran both on the world stage and in the region. As for Ambassador Hook, the diplomat has recently threatened to trigger the return of all United Nations sanctions – lifted after Tehran conceded to demilitarize its nuclear program under the 2015 deal – if the UN Security Council lets an Iran arms embargo lapse in October.
The threat elicited a sharp rebuke from Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who reminded Hook that the US is no longer a member of the pact.
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