Iran Calls US Ruling Elite ‘Inefficient, Source of Threat’

In a tweet on Friday, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Vice Admiral Ali Shamkhani criticized US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and US special envoy for Iran Brian Hook for their anti-Iran comments and policies.

“The Trump-Pompeo-Hook triangle presents an image of the ruling elite in the US which its allies consider as unreliable, its rivals see as a threat and its citizens regard as inefficient,” he tweeted.

Shamkhani’s comments come as the Trump administration has adopted the policy of maximum pressure against Iran.

Recently, Hook claimed the US is still a signatory to the Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iranian officials have reacted to his claim, saying the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement back in 2018, and, hence, is no longer a party to the deal.

Pompeo also recently pushed for the extension of a UN arms embargo on Iran which expires in October. The UN agreed to end the embargo in October 2020 after the JCPOA was signed in 2015.

Furthermore, Trump reinstated sanctions on Iran more than a year ago.
Iran says the US sanctions are not only hitting the country’s economy, but are also preventing Tehran from importing medicine and food due to banking restrictions.