Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday the “genocidal taunts” of US President Donald Trump will not “end Iran”, as tensions spike between the two countries.
“Iranians have stood tall for millennia while aggressors all gone. Economic terrorism and genocidal taunts won’t ‘end Iran’,” Zarif wrote on Twitter.
“Never threaten an Iranian. Try respect — it works!” he added.
In another tweet, Zarif accused Trump of allowing his team to “trash diplomacy” and “abet war crimes — by milking despotic butchers via massive arms sales”.
The riposte by Iran’s top diplomat followed an ominous warning by Trump, who on Sunday suggested the Islamic republic would be destroyed if it attacked US interests.
“If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again,” Trump tweeted.
On Monday evening Trump, who is seen on blowing hot and cold on Iran, appeared to play down the immediate threat posed by Iran while saying he is ready to talk if Tehran takes the first step.
Trump’s latest comments appeared aimed at dialing back fears that his administration is pushing for war.
“We have no indication that anything’s happened or will happen,” he told reporters at the White House when asked about the Iranian threat to US interests, adding: “We have no indication that they will.”
A Senator close to Trump, Lindsey Graham, warned Iran of an “overwhelming military response” for any actions against US interests.
Relations between Washington and Tehran plummeted a year ago when Trump pulled out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and imposed tough sanctions.
Iranian officials have repeatedly slammed the unilateral US sanctions as “economic terrorism,” saying that they have impeded the flow of essential goods.
