The reaction is seen as undercutting those trying to change Iran’s government from within.<\/b>
\nTEHRAN, Iran \u2014 President Trump\u2019s refusal to certify the Iran nuclear deal has sparked a new war of words between the Islamic Republic and America, fueling growing mistrust and a sense of nationalism among Iranians.
The speech has served to unite Iranians across the political spectrum \u2013 fed also by anger over Trump\u2019s refusal to refer to the Persian Gulf, the waterway through which a third of all oil traded by sea passes, by name.
The reaction is undercutting those trying to change Iran\u2019s clerically overseen government from within, and likely will strengthen the hand of hardliners who long have insisted the U. S. remains the same \u201cGreat Satan\u201d denounced in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
\u201cUnder the deal, it was supposed to be that we get concessions, not that we give more concessions,\u201d the hardline newspaper Kayhan raged.
Iranian officials and media outlets Saturday uniformly condemned Trump for accusing Iran of violating the spirit of the 2015 accord and calling on Congress to toughen the law governing U. S. participation. Trump said he was not ready to pull out of the deal but warned he would do so if it were not improved.
In a televised speech shortly after Trump made his announcement, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country would remain in the deal, but criticized Trump\u2019s words, referring to them as \u201ccursing and futile accusations.\u201d
Rouhani also said Iran would continue to build and test ballistic missiles, something allowed under the nuclear deal though Americans believe it violates the accord\u2019s spirit.
\u201cWe have always been determined, and today we are more determined,\u201d Rouhani said. \u201cWe will double our efforts from now on.\u201d
The Iranian president offered a list of moments that showed the United States could not be trusted by the average Iranian, dating back to the 1953 CIA-backed coup that cemented U. S.-backed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi\u2019s power.
Like many others in Iran, Rouhani focused on the fact that Trump used the term \u201cArabian Gulf\u201d to refer to the Persian Gulf. Some traded online video clips of past American presidents calling it the Persian Gulf, while one semi-official news agency published a photo gallery with the title \u201cPersian Gulf forever.\u201d
Posts with the hashtag PersianGulf and the Iranian flag circulated on social media.
The name of the body of water has become an emotive issue for Iranians who embrace their country\u2019s long history as the Persian Empire, especially as U. S. Gulf Arab allies and the American military now call it the \u201cArabian Gulf.\u201d Rouhani even suggested during his speech that Trump needed to \u201cstudy geography.\u201d
\u201cEveryone knew Trump\u2019s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too,\u201d Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter.
Later in the day, Zarif said that \u201cTrump and the U. S. are not in a position to certify Iran\u2019s compliance to its commitments\u201d under the deal.
Zarif said the U. N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, is the only authorized body for certification of the deal.
He also criticized Trump for calling Iran a rebellious government. Without using any name, he added: \u201cRebellious is the one who is not loyal to international regulations. The individual who tramples commitments of its country deserves the title more than anybody else.\u201d
Send questions\/comments to the editors.<\/p>\n

\n

Similarity rank: 45<\/div>\n

Sentiment rank: -1<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n