US Supports Dictators, Butchers, Extremists in West Asia: Iran FM

“Iranians—including our Jewish compatriots—are commemorating 40 yrs of progress despite US pressure, just as @realDonaldTrump again makes accusations against us. US hostility has led it to support dictators, butchers & extremists, who've only brought ruin to our region,” Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted on Wednesday, in reference to the upcoming 40th anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, which toppled the Washington-backed Pahlavi regime.

The top Iranian diplomat's tweet came in reaction to Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, during which he called Iran “the world’s leading state sponsor of terror,” and said the Islamic Republic “chants death to America and threatens genocide against the Jewish people.”

Under the Trump administration, the US has stepped up its pressure campaign against Iran.

The campaign reached its peak in May 2018, when he unilaterally withdrew America from the 2015 nuclear deal in defiance of international criticisms.

During his State of the Union Speech, Trump also defended the decision for America to abandon the “disastrous” Iran deal and “place the toughest sanctions ever” against the country.

Trump’s White House is also preparing to host a so-called Middle East security conference in Warsaw, Poland, next week to discuss ways of piling pressure on the Islamic Republic.