UN, Trump attacks Iranian "rogue" and threatens "the end of the regime"

Iran, accused on a paar with North Korea of being a "rogue state". He speaks of "murderous regime" that promotes "destabilizing activities". Rouhani: If it reneges on nuclear agreement, the US will lose "credibility". Zarif: Speech from the Middle Ages.


New York (AsiaNews / Agencies) – Battle lines were drawn yesterday at the UN General Assembly  in New York between the United States and Iran. President Donald Trump's speech has once again confirmed the end of reconciliation efforts and has given a further boost to the (possible) cancellation of the agreement on the Iranian atomic program (JCPAO).

In his first speech to the United Nations, Donald Trump slammed Tehran, likening it to North Korea and of ​​being a ravenous, bloody state amongst the main supporters of regional and international terrorism. And he added that the first victim of the "regime" is its own people.

The US President said his nation cannot allow a "murderous regime" to perpetrate their "destabilizing activities". And we cannot, he said, endorse an agreement like JCPOA, with a country that "agrees to implement a nuclear program," adding that its’ the West’s duty to "end the Tehran regime".

His Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani said the United States will lose face to face with the international community if they abandon the nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic. "The most important capital available to every nation - he warned - is confidence and credibility."

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called Trump's intervention at the UN an "ignorant hatred". It belongs to “in medieval times -- not the 21st century U.N. -- unworthy of a reply."

After years of embargo Western economic sanctions were eased in 2015 in exchange for a deal on the country’s controversial nuclear programme. Largely welcomed by the international community, the deal has been a boost for the economy and investments, stimulating urban renewal and reforms in the energy sector.

However, the United States – and critics of the deal, especially Israel – have maintained sanctions against Iran over its ballistic missile programme and the armed support for Shia movements in the Middle East.