Zarif's Strong Reaction to Voting in the U.S. Senate and Trump's Statement

Iran's Foreign Minister protested against the consideration of a new sanctions package against Iran in the U.S. Senate, coinciding with 'terrorist' incidents in Tehran and the White House's statement regarding these events, stating that 'the people of Iran reject such claims of friendship from the U.S.' Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted early on Thursday, June 8, saying: 'The White House's hateful statement and Senate sanctions, while Iranians are confronting terrorist actions supported by U.S. clients; the people of Iran reject such claims of friendship from the U.S.' It seems that Zarif's reference to 'U.S. clients' points to Saudi Arabia, which signed a deal to purchase tens of billions of dollars in weapons from the U.S. less than a month ago during Donald Trump's visit to the country. Just hours after the ISIS attacks in Tehran that left 14 dead, the U.S. Senate on Wednesday reviewed a new sanctions package regarding Iran's missile program, arms exports, and support for armed groups in the Middle East, with 97 votes in favor and only two against. The Senate's vote paved the way for a final vote on this matter in the coming days. If approved, this sanctions law would allow for sanctions against individuals linked to Iran's missile program and anyone who engages in trade with them. The law also includes financial and non-financial restrictions on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a ban on arms sales. Before the vote on Wednesday, several Democratic senators, including Bernie Sanders, a serious critic of Donald Trump, called for the session to be postponed in light of the recent attacks in Tehran, but their efforts were unsuccessful. On Wednesday, Donald Trump, the President of the United States, expressed condolences to the victims of the 'terrorist attacks' in Tehran while also stating that governments supporting terrorism themselves become victims of the 'evil' they promote. Trump initially did not react to the attacks in Tehran and it took hours for him to respond and issue a statement, similar to his European counterparts. Nevertheless, Iran's Foreign Minister described this way of expressing condolences to the victims and their families in the events on Wednesday in Tehran as 'hateful.' Two teams of armed individuals attacked the Iranian Parliament and the tomb of Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran on Wednesday, resulting in 13 deaths and 52 injuries, with the attackers also being killed. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks in a statement, threatening that more attacks against Iranians are on the way.