Iran Says Hasn’t Changed Since Trump Took Office

Qassemi on Friday dismissed Trump’s claim that he has managed to change Iran’s behaviour, saying it seems the US president lacks basic understanding of the Middle East’s conditions, history, latest developments and its nations’ features.

In an interview with ISNA, Qassemi underlined that unfortunately, Trump’s notorious advisors provide him with wrong information received from some terrorist groups in the region who wish to get the US involved in further regional conflicts.

“Trump’s advisors are tarnishing the image of Trump and inflicting heavy blows to the US national interest,” he noted.

In response to a question on Trump’s latest remarks about Iran during his interview with Wall Street Journal, Qassemi said unfortunately the US president has grown accustomed to uttering repetitive, wrong and unfounded statements against the Islamic Republic.

“We know it is hard to beak oneself of an old habit but Trump can overcome it by making hard efforts.”

The senior official then added history has shown that Trump makes his anti-Iran speech on some specific occasions which are directly connected to his own conditions in the US and international politics.

Qassemi noted Trump claims that before he took office, Iran was in control of most places in the Middle East including Syria and Yemen.

”it seems his advisor, Mr Bolton, has given him wrong information because Syria and Yemen were invaded and occupied by the US-backed terrorists several years ago with the aim of toppling the Syrian government and pave the way for the ruling of ISIS and other terrorist groups there.”

Meanwhile, he said, Yemen was invaded by one of the US’ closest allies in the region with its people coming under relentless airstrikes by the very arms sold by the US and its western allies to Saudi Arabia.

Since the beginning of the devastating war in Yemen in 2015, thousands of innocent women and children have been killed and many others are suffering from poverty, diseases and gradual death, he noted.

According to Qassemi, Trump should have learned so far that the Islamic Republic is neither after occupying a place in the region nor invading any regional country.

“As things stand, Trump has mistaken Iran for another country or terrorist groups in the region. Iran has never invaded any foreign country over the past several hundred years and will never do so in the future. Iran had never occupied a regional country before Trump took office in 2016. We have adopted the same policy since then and will never change it in the future,” he said.

The spokesman then underlined that Iran’s principled and logical policy towards the region is completely transparent. “It goes without saying that Iran remains the same with its principled regional policy unchanged. It has never undergone any change since Trump took office.”

He once again stressed that Iran is seeking to fight against regional terrorism and extremism to create peace and security and promote economic and political developments in the whole region.

Iran’s presence in Syria comes at the official request of the Syrian government and the Iranian forces provide the Syrian army with military advice in fight against terrorist groups, he added.

“Iran has had no military presence in any other country and its presence in Syria is aimed at eradicating terrorism in the region,” he said.

He warned US officials not to further tarnish the US image in the world and jeopardize their country’s national interests and said “we advise Trump to learn from history and read it once again because people of the world can’t accept that the head of a country which proclaims to be the world’s superpower acts like him.”

Qassemi also underlined that Trump’s latest anti-Iran statements amount to wishful-thinking, and his dreams about Iran will never come true.

“The Islamic Republic will defend its legal rights and national interests against ill-wishing aggressors within international law and as a country committed to all global mechanisms and treaties. We will also stand by our ideals to back all regional states and nations interested in restoring peace and stability to the region through fighting terrorism and extremism.”

Qassemi finally underlined that today no country can mislead the world’s public opinion by spending a hefty amount of money, adding that time will show the real friends and enemies of the regional nations amid the foreign powers and terrorist groups’ invasions.