Press TV - Iran has slammed US President Donald Trumps recent anti-Tehran remarks as "outdated" propaganda.
The US policy of [spreading] Iranophobia and the repetition of outdated claims have failed and proved ineffective, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Bahram Qassemi said on Wednesday.
Speaking in Jerusalem al-Quds on Monday, Trump accused Iran of backing terrorism, andpledged Washingtons commitment to deter Tehran from acquiring any nuclear arms.
Qassemi dismissed Trumps remarks as repetitious and delusional.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has never been pursuing nuclear weapons, he said, stressing that relevant international bodies have on numerous occasions verified the countrys commitment to its nuclear obligations.
Qassemi also rejected as baseless US allegations that Iransupportsterrorism, saying Tehran is well-known for its forceful and indefatigable fightagainst terrorism.
US must come clean about policies in Mideast
Separately, Qassemi said the US needed to put an end to its policy of double standards in the Middle East region, including its support for non-democratic regimes like the one in Bahrain.
It is not possible to speak of development, freedom and human rights, onthe one hand, and to support certain governments that are bereft of popular support and seek to rule over people or further advance their agendas in the region through purchasing weapons on the other hand, Qassemi said in an interview with IRIB on Wednesday.
He said the US was sending mixed signals with respect to the developments in Bahrain.
Qassemi made the remarks in response to a question about Washingtons role in the recent developments in Bahrain.
He added that the US was responsible forfuture regional developments, citing Washingtons support for terrorist groups and its arms sales to certain countries of the region.
Trump arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturdayon his first overseas trip since taking officeto shore up bilateral ties. On the first day of his trip, the United States sealedanearly $110 billionarms deal with Saudi Arabia.
In Riyadh, Trump also had a meeting withBahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah, during which he said he would work to improve relations between the two countries.
Trumps administration has decided this year to pursue a $5 billion sale of 19 Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft and related equipmentto Bahrain.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
US President Donald Trump (2nd, L) talks with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud as they pose for photos with leaders at the Arab Islamic American Summit, at the King Abdulaziz Conference Center, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 21, 2017. (Photo by AP)[/caption]Days after Trump praised US tieswith Bahrain and vowed to mend the two countries relations, Manama launched a violent raid that led to the deaths of at least five protesters and wounding of dozens more. Some 286 protesters were also arrested in the ensuing clashes when Bahraini regime forces broke into the residence of prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim in the village of Diraz on Tuesday.
Qassim, the spiritual leader of Bahrains dissolved opposition bloc, the al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, is under house arrest. He was stripped of his citizenship in June 2016.
The Iranian official denounced the raid as unacceptable and warned that resorting to violence, suppression and security measures would fail to end tensions in the Persian Gulf kingdom.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="555"]
US President Donald Trump (R) meets with Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 21, 2017. (Photo by Reuters)[/caption]Qassemi also called on Manama to take heed of popular demands and launch a dialog to solve the countrys problems without recourse to foreign interference.
The raid comes as the Manama regime, with the help of the Saudi and Emirati armies, has been pressing ahead with a heavy-handed crackdown against the countrys activists and opposition figures sinceFebruary 2011.
