His comments came hours after Iranian missiles hit the US’ Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq and a US base near Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan in the country’s north.
Two Wounded after Explosion in Iraq’s Kirkuk
The explosion came hours after Iranian missiles hit the US’ Ain al-Assad base in western Iraq and a US base near Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan in the country’s north.
Iran to Cut Off US Feet from Region: Rouhani
“They cut off our dear Soleimani‘s hand, and you saw his dear hand beside his body in the videos and photos. To avenge the move, we should cut the US’ feet and kick it out of the region,” he said during a cabinet session on Wednesday.
“If the US’ feet are cut off from the region and the hand of its aggression is chopped forever, this will be the real revenge and the ultimate response of regional nations to the US,” he added.
Rouhani said that the Americans made a grave historic mistake by this criminal act. “If Gen. Soleimani wished, he could terminate hundreds of American commanders in different parts of the region, but he was one of the most moderate military commanders in the region and the world.”
“With their criminal act in Baghdad, America martyred a major, great Iranian commander, who was the guest of the Iraqi government and people, against all international regulations,” he noted.
There is no doubt that the US had goals in mind when making this act, he said, adding, “They were after sowing discord inside Iran, creating fear and division in the region and distance between the Iraqi government and people and the Iranian government and people, as well as affecting regional dynamics and efforts that were directed towards full liberation of the region from terrorists, which they failed to do so.”
Iran, Turkey Discuss IRGC Missile Attacks on US Base
During the call, the two sides conferred on the latest regional developments, especially after Tehran’s decisive and legitimate response to the US military base in Iraq.
Earlier in the day, Zarif also held separate phone conversations with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg and Malaysian top diplomat Saifuddin Abdullah.
In the phone calls, the foreign ministers discussed the latest developments in the region.
The talks came hours after Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) hit the US’ Ain al-Assad base in Iraq with dozens of ballistic missiles in retaliation for the US assassination of top general Qassem Soleimani.
Iran Expresses Regret over Tehran-Kiev Plane Crash
He also offered condolences to the Iranian nation, the Ukrainian nation and government, and the families of the tragic incident.
The Ukrainian passenger plane with 179 people on board has crashed shortly after take-off from the international airport south of the Iranian capital, Tehran, killing all those aboard.
Ali Khashani, a senior public relations official at Imam Khomeini International Airport, said the Boeing 737 operated by the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA), which was bound for Kiev, went down early Wednesday in the vicinity of Parand, a city in Robat Karim County, Tehran Province.
The plane caught fire after crashing.
Later, Kashani announced that all the passengers and crew members of the plane had died in the crash, according to IRNA.
According to the Ukrainian government, 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians (including nine crew members), 10 Swedish, four Afghans, three Germans, and three UK nationals were among the victims.
Iran Hits Centre of US Terrorism in Region: Spokesman
Speaking after a cabinet session on Wednesday, Rabiei said the government appreciates the IRGC’s “accurate” attacks this morning which hit the US’ Ain al-Assad base in Iraq without being intercepted.
He said Iran is not after a war, and the attacks were in retaliation for the Friday assassination of General Soleimani and his comrades.
Rabiei also stressed that the country will give a harsher response to the United States in case they show any further reaction.
Iran Leader: End of US Presence in Mideast Final Revenge for Soleimani
Addressing hundreds of people in Tehran, the Leader said the US presence in the region has brought nothing but sedition and destruction.
“The US has caused war, division, sedition, destruction, and the demolition of infrastructures in this region. Of course they do this everywhere in the world. This region won’t accept the US presence. Governments elected by nations won’t accept the presence of the US,” he noted.
“They insist on spreading this corruption to Iran as well,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, referring to the calls for negotiation between the two sides as a prelude to that.
“This needs to end,” he said, saying that regional states do not accept such presence.
The Leader referred to the IRGC‘s missile strikes against the US’ Ain al-Assad military as a slap in the US’ face, saying that “revenge” is something else. He said the revenge will be taken once the US leaves the region.
176 Killed in Passenger Plane Crash Near Tehran
The plane was an almost brand-new (three-year-old) Boeing-737 plane which crashed six minutes after its take-off due to an engine fire.
Iran Admits Its Air Defence ‘Unintentionally’ Hit Ukrainian Plane
Iran’s IRGC Confirms Missile Attack on US Base in Iraq
The IRGC confirmed the attacks, and said in an official statement that in Operation Martyr Soleimani in early hours of Wednesday, tens of ground-to-ground missiles were fired at the US base and successfully pounded the Ain al-Assad Base.
The IRGC warned in the statement that any more aggression and move will receive even more crushing responses.
It also warned the countries hosting US bases that Iran will target them as well if they allow the US to use their territory for any attack on Iran.
The statement also said Israel is not at all separate from the US.
