TEHRAN – President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday warned his American counterpart, Donald Trump, about his hostile stance against Iran, saying, “Mr. Trump, do not play with the lion’s tail, this would only lead to regret.”

Addressing a gathering of Iranian diplomats, Rouhani said, “The Americans must fully understand that peace with Iran is the mother of all the peace, and war with Iran would be the mother of all wars.”

“We don’t give in to threats but stand up to bullying,” he stressed.

“One who understands politics even a little bit wouldn’t say ‘we will stop Iran’s oil exports’,” he said, warning that the Strait of Hormuz is only one of the straits that Iran has control over.

Pointing to Iran’s sense of responsibility in normal situations, Rouhani, “We have been the guarantor of the regional waterway’s security throughout history.”

“We don’t give in to threats but stand up to bullying,” Rouhani stressed.The threats by the president came a day after the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke out in support of Rouhani’s earlier threat to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, saying, “Remarks by the president ... that ‘if Iran’s oil is not exported, no regional country’s oil will be exported,’ were important remarks that reflect the policy and the approach of [the Islamic Republic’s] establishment.”

Rouhani also said Trump wants to jeopardize the interests of the entire world.
 
The president said these moves can provide a great opportunity to show the real nature of the U.S. government.

The president continued, “At no other time it was as easy to explain to the world how much the White House’s policies are anti-Muslim and racist.”

“Today, there is not a shred of doubt that America’s rulers fiercely oppose the Palestinian nation,” he said, pointing to the U.S. relocation of its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem despite international condemnation.

The Iranian president says Iran is ready to “establish friendship” with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain if they stop “stubbornness”.“Today,” Rouhani said, “we can easily tell the world that the Americans are not at all committed to peace, international treaties and organizations.”

He also said by pulling out of the nuclear agreement, which Iran signed with six world powers in 2015, the U.S. tried in vain to drive Iran out of the deal in order to take the case to the UN Security Council.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani scoffed at the notion that Israel is a model of democracy in the region. Pointing to a controversial law Israel passed on Thursday that defines the country as the “nation-state” of the Jewish people, he asked, “Is there any doubt that Israel is a model of apartheid in the region?”

The Iranian chief executive also voiced Tehran’s willingness to establish friendly relations with the world, especially neighboring countries, saying, “Even if a neighbor like Saudi Arabia does away with its stubbornness and expresses willingness toward [friendly] relations, we must resolve the differences and establish friendship.”

“This is also the case with the [United Arab] Emirates and Bahrain, and under the new circumstances, we are seeking to reform our relations with these countries,” he added.

MH/PA