Zarif: 'They Even Distort the Torah for Iranophobia'

The official news agency IRNA reported that Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, referred to the recent statements of his American counterpart, Mike Pompeo, as 'Iranophobia' and 'distortion of the Torah.' Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, had stated in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) that as a Christian, he believes that perhaps Donald Trump was sent by God to save the Jewish people from the threat of Iran. However, in his tweet, Mohammad Javad Zarif did not mention Mike Pompeo or any other American or Israeli officials. In his tweet published on Saturday morning, the Iranian Foreign Minister wrote that the text of the Torah shows that 'an Iranian king saved the Jews from slavery in Babylon,' 'another Iranian king saved the Jews from genocide,' and 'the encouragers of the genocide of the Jews were the inhabitants of the Negev desert and not Iranians.' In recent days, as the U.S. President recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights and his Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, made a two-day visit to Israel, officials from both countries repeatedly referred to the Islamic Republic's enmity towards Israel. Among them, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, said on Thursday evening: '2500 years ago, Persians tried to destroy the Jewish nation and failed; today, the efforts of the Persians led by Khamenei to destroy the Jewish nation and state will also fail.' Mike Pompeo, who was present at this joint press conference, did not react to this part of Netanyahu's remarks, but later in an interview with CBN, he implicitly agreed with these statements. The hosts of this network asked Mr. Pompeo: 'Can we say that President Trump, just like Queen Esther, has stepped forward at this specific time [coinciding with the Purim festival] to save the Jewish nation?' Mike Pompeo responded: 'As a Christian, I certainly believe that this is possible.' In Jewish narratives, including the Scroll of Esther, Esther is the Jewish wife of King Xerxes, but Haman, the minister of Xerxes, harbors hatred against them, and with his malice, Haman is eventually hanged by the king's order, but Esther receives a decree from the king that saves the Jews from slaughter. However, some historians have raised questions about the historical accuracy of this narrative and have questioned its historical alignment. Mike Pompeo's regional trip, which he described as a 'strategic' dialogue with regional leaders to 'counter the threat of Iran,' included visits to Kuwait, Israel, and Lebanon.