Iran Mocks Netanyahu's Nuclear Claims as Trump Lauds Them
Iran's state-run media on Monday mocked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest allegations that Tehran once pursued nuclear weapons.
In a presentation Monday that made use of large visual aids, Netanyahu said Israeli intelligence had uncovered a trove of documents from Iran's "nuclear archives."
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Netanyahu is "famous for ridiculous shows." The semi-official Fars news agency, believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, dismissed Netanyahu's speech as a "propaganda show."
Iran has denied ever seeking nuclear weapons.
U.S. President Donald Trump meanwhile praised Netanyahu's presentation.
Trump said the presentation and other recent events show that the U.S. president has been "100 percent right" about Iran.
He said he watched part of Netanyahu's presentation and that it was "good." Trump added that Iran's behavior is "just not an acceptable situation." He pointed to missile tests, saying Iran is "not sitting back idly."
Trump has declined to say whether he will withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal. But he said Monday that if the U.S. does pull out, he still may negotiate a "real agreement."
He added that the U.S. "got nothing" for the sanctions relief granted Iran under the accord.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif meanwhile said Trump is “jumping on a rehash of old allegations already dealt with by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) to 'nix' the deal.”
“How convenient. Coordinated timing of alleged intelligence revelations by the boy who cries wolf just days before May 12. But Trump’s impetuousness to celebrate blew the cover,” Zarif added, in an English-language tweet.
Source: Associated Press, Naharnet
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