Iran’s supreme leader on Thursday likened the Republican senators’ open letter to Iran to “deception” and “treason” and said it reflected a lack of ethics in U.S. politics.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the letter indicated "the collapse of political ethics and the U.S. system's internal disintegration," according to the official IRNA news agency translated by the Associated Press.
“Acc[ording to] int'l regulations, states can't breach agreements upon change of govts,” tweeted the account Iran experts believe is updated by Khamenei’s office.
In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves while attending a meeting with a group of environmental officials and activists at his residence in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 8, 2015. (AP Photo/Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader)
Khamenei asserted that the Iranian negotiating team was considerate and trustworthy. By contrast, he worried the American letter reflected “deception” and “treason.”
But I'm worried because the other side in the negotiations has a habit of deception & treason. 2/2 #IranTalks #IranLetter
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 12, 2015Each time we approach deadline for talks the other party esp US adopt a harsher&more aggressive tone. It's one of their tricks of deception.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 12, 2015The 47 senators warned in their letter that any future U.S. president or Congress could revoke or alter a deal over Iran’s controversial nuclear program if it is not first approved by Congress.
The Iranian leader called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “Zionist clown.”
When this #ZionistClown spoke at Congress, members of US govt. made remarks to deny any role in this event. 1/2
#NetanyahuSpeech
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 12, 2015But at the same time they accused #Iran of terrorism; these remarks were cheap and despicable. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/WH8GtHTSV5
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) March 12, 2015In a word choice similar to Khamenei’s, the New York Daily News on Tuesday published a cover calling the senators “traitors.”
“These 47 Republican U.S. senators have engaged in treachery,” a tweet from the newspaper said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Tuesday called the letter to Iran a “propaganda ploy” and suggested the senators do not understand the U.S. Constitution.
