Iran Says White House Statement On Tehran Terror Attacks Was ‘Repugnant’

Mohammad Javad Zarif, Foreign Minister Of Iran, tweeted late Wednesday, stating he found the White House Statement in response to the Iran terror attacks ‘repugnant’ and that the people of his nation reject a fake show of friendship.

Following the terror attacks that struck Iran's parliament and the tomb of its revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini which left 12 people dead and more than 40 injured, Trump issued a statement to offer condolences and prayers for the families of the victims who were affected by the tragedy.

Zarif’s scathing comments however were directed towards President Donald Trump and the White House for the second part of the statement released after the attacks. The official statement started off by offering condolences after the attack before moving on to read “we underscore that states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote.”

Read: Khomeini Shrine, Iran Parliament Attacks Live Updates: Casualties Reported After Firing And Blast

This was not the first time Trump was condemned by Zarif. He has been criticised by the Iranian foreign minister a number of times in the past.

This latest White House statement was seen by many as a taunt directed at Iran for being victimized by the very terrorists they allegedly shelter, according to U.S. claims. Shortly after the attacks, the Islamic State group (ISIS) claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying they were there to “stay," First Post reported.

The White House statement however was backed by Aaron Sagui‏, a spokesman for Israel's embassy in Washington. He highlighted the second sentence in the statement and added an “Exactly” after that.

The fact the U.S. government will not back down became clearer hours after the terror attacks when Republicans and Democrats in Congress acted on a procedural vote to move forward with a bill to impose additional sanctions on the on people involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, as well as anyone trading with them. It would also apply terrorism sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and enforce an arms embargo, Fox News reported.

The vote on the bill went ahead despite a few senators, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, urging for it to be delayed in light of the recent Iran attacks.

“Let us tell the people of Iran that while we have serious disagreements with them on a number of issues, that today when they are mourning, when they are dealing with the shock of a terrorist attack, today is not the day to go forward with this piece of legislation," Sanders said.

But New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez countered by saying the bill was a "carefully crafted response to Iran's ongoing aggression in the Middle East."

While the U.S. blamed Iran for the attacks on its own soil, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard pointed the finger at Saudi Arabia and its growing friendship with the U.S.

“This terrorist attack happened only a week after the meeting between the U.S. President Donald Trump and the Saudi backward leaders who support terrorists. The fact that Islamic State has claimed responsibility proves that they [Saudi Arabia] were involved in the brutal attack,” they stated, according to Newsweek.

Saudi Arabia denied the allegations and also condemned the attack.