Khamenei: Mr. Trump! You are mistaken

One day after the announcement of the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, addressed the U.S. President saying, "Mr. Trump! You are mistaken." In his speech, Khamenei referred to Donald Trump using terms like "fool" and described his words as "trivial and light," stating that "this man will also turn to dust and his body will become food for worms and ants." Khamenei also expressed distrust towards the three European countries regarding the continuation of the JCPOA. According to the official website of the Supreme Leader's office, Khamenei said on Wednesday, May 9, at the University of Cultural Sciences: "Last night you heard the President of the United States made trivial and light remarks. There were probably more than ten lies in his words. He threatened both the regime and the nation, saying that he would do this and that. I say on behalf of the Iranian nation: Mr. Trump! You are mistaken." Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, May 8, that the United States was withdrawing from the nuclear agreement with Iran and would reinstate the suspended sanctions against Tehran. The nuclear agreement was reached in July 2015 between Iran, the Obama administration, Germany, France, China, the UK, and Russia. After two years of intense negotiations, Iran and the six world powers, including the U.S., reached a comprehensive agreement to resolve Tehran's nuclear program, which suspended many U.S. and UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran in exchange for halting some of Iran's nuclear activities. However, Trump has shown staunch opposition to this agreement since his 2016 presidential campaign, describing it as "the worst deal ever" and ended U.S. participation in it on Tuesday night. Khamenei continued his reaction to this action on Wednesday, saying: "We said that the issue of America with Iran is not related to nuclear energy. They said no, it is not like that; now you see, we accepted the JCPOA, but hostilities did not end." In the months leading up to the nuclear agreement in 2015, Khamenei had repeatedly emphasized that he did not trust the U.S. government and was not optimistic about negotiating with it. His reference here is to those speeches, including one in April 2015 where he discussed the nuclear negotiations, stating that "the opposite side is extremely deceitful, dishonest, and violates agreements and moves in the wrong direction." The Supreme Leader also added on Wednesday: "Now they raise the issue of Iran's presence in the region and the issue of missiles; if we accept these, they will start another issue. The reason for America's opposition to the regime is that this country had complete dominance, and the revolution cut their hands short." Khamenei continued: "What has happened, that is, the ugly and trivial behavior of the President of the United States is not unexpected for us. This behavior has existed during the previous presidents as well and has been the same in every era." Khamenei emphasized: "I have repeatedly said from the very beginning not to trust America; I said this both in public sessions and in private meetings. I said if you want to sign a contract, get the necessary guarantees and then sign it." He stressed: "One of the conditions I mentioned was that the President of the United States must sign. The respected officials worked hard and sweated, and well, they could not. We have been implementing this contract for two and a half years, and now this fool says I do not accept it." He added that "the Iranian nation stands strong, and those previous presidents have died, and their bones have decayed, and the Islamic Republic still exists. This man will also turn to dust and his body will become food for worms and ants, and the Islamic Republic will continue to stand." Khamenei: I do not trust the three European countries either. Khamenei continued his remarks on Wednesday, saying: "Now it is said that we will continue with the three European countries. I do not trust these three countries either; do not trust them either." He added: "If you want to make a contract, we must get practical guarantees, otherwise, they will all do the same thing as America. If you can get guarantees, well, of course, I doubt it." The Supreme Leader continued: "If you cannot get definitive guarantees, then the JCPOA cannot continue. The country's officials are in a great test: Will they preserve the dignity of the nation or not? The dignity and interests of the nation must be secured in the true sense of the word." Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, also reacted to the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, stating that Tehran must receive guarantees from the other parties to this agreement that its interests will be secured in order to continue its commitment to the JCPOA. He said: "From this moment, the JCPOA agreement is between Iran and the five countries; from this moment, 1+5 has lost one, and in this situation, we must wait to see how the six major world countries will act regarding this agreement."