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| President Donald Trump speaks on jobs and the American labor force at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Thursday. On Sunday, Trump responded to words from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI |
By Ray Downs, UPI
President Donald Trump said Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will "suffer consequences" if he continues rhetoric that has been perceived as threatening to the United States.
"To Iranian President Rouhani: Never, ever threaten the United States again or you will suffer consequences the likes of which few throughout history have ever suffered before," Trump wrote on Twitter. "We are no longer a country that will stand for your demented words of violence & death. Be cautious!"
[post_ads]Trump's tweet comes a day after Rouhani gave a televised speech in which he spoke directly to Trump.
"Mr Trump! We are the honest men who have throughout history guaranteed the safety of this region's waterways," Hassan said. "Do not play with the lion's tail, it will bring regret."
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also took a swipe at Rouhani on Sunday, accusing the Iranian leader and other government officials of trying to spread a violent revolution across the Middle East while profiting from corruption.
"The ideologues who forcibly came to power in 1979 and remain in power today are driven by a desire to conform all of Iranian society to the tenants of the Islamic Revolution. The regime is also committed to spreading the Revolution to other countries, by force if necessary," Pompeo said during aspeech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., according to CNN.
Pompeo added: "The level of corruption and wealth among regime leaders shows that Iran is run by something that resembles the mafia more than a government...These hypocritical holy men have devised all kinds of crooked schemes to become some of the wealthiest men on Earth while their people suffer."
The tough words between Rouhani and the Trump administration follow Trump's plan to reimpose sanctions on Iran in retaliation to the country's efforts to develop nuclear technology, which could cause Iran's oil exports to fall by as much as a third by the end of 2018, Sky News reported.
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