TEHRAN — Tehran has referred to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as “Secretary of Hate”, saying Pompeo has achieved nothing since he assumed the post two years ago.

“After 2 years in office, US Secretary of State Pompeo, a.k.a #Secretary_of_Hate, has literally achieved NOTHING in diplomacy,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said via Twitter on Sunday evening.

It added, “During his tenure, the Earth globe europe-africa has been less secure & the Flag of United States has been more hated, humiliated; no peace achieved and no stability restored globally! #Shame”

It came a day after Pompeo called on the United Nations Security Council to extend its arms embargo on Iran, which will otherwise expire in October.

Citing the Islamic Republic’s recent satellite launch, Pompeo said in a statement on Saturday that Tehran should not be allowed to buy and sell conventional weapons.

On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) successfully launched Iran’s first military satellite into the orbit.

The first military satellite, dubbed Noor 1 [Light 1], was launched upon Ghased (Messenger) satellite carrier in the early hours of Wednesday from a location in the central desert of Iran, Sepah News reported.

Pompeo pointed to the announcement, claiming it showed that Iran’s space program was in fact “neither peaceful nor entirely civilian”.

He claimed that the technology used to launch the satellite was compatible with that used to launch ballistic missiles, saying “Iran’s dangerous missile programs” need to be constrained.

Under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the U.S. abandoned in May 2018, a UN ban on weapons sales to Tehran will end in October 2020.

In December 2019, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran intends to stay in the nuclear deal despite the U.S. actions, arguing that the internationally-endorsed pact will be put to good use in 2020 when the arms embargo comes to an end.

MH/PA