Zarif reacts to Pompeo’s recent anti-Iran remarks, US sanctions

Tabnak – After signaling desire to recognize the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights in Syria as being under the authority of Tel Aviv, the United States is once again trying to introduce Iran as a regional and global threat. Reacting to the American claims, Iranian foreign minister reiterates that Washington is the main source of instability in the region.

In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network during a high-profile trip to Israel, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it is "possible" that President Donald Trump was sent by God to save Israel from Iran.

In response and in a tween early on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif deplored Pompeo’s comments and said, “Even the Torah is distorted to serve Iranophobia. What it actually says: Persian king saved Jews from captivity in Babylon. Another Persian king saved Jews from genocide. Genocide plotter hailed from Negev, not Persia. Persian king is only foreigner referred to as MESSIAH.”

Esther is the main heroine of the Jewish holiday of Purim, which was celebrated this week. According to Jewish accounts, Persian King Xerxes I discovered a plot by his viceroy Haman the Agagite who hailed from Negev to slaughter Jews some 2,500 years ago and had him executed.

This is not the first time that the legend has featured in Israeli leaders' anti-Iran narrative.

In a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in March 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Persia had made “an attempt to destroy the Jewish people that did not succeed.”

Back then, Zarif hit out at the Israeli premier for "resorting to fake history and falsifying" the Torah "to sell bigoted lies against a nation which has saved Jews 3 times."

In an address to parliament, which coincided with the Purim holiday, Iranian Speaker Ali Larijani also said in Tehran that “apparently, [Netanyahu] is neither acquainted with history, nor has read the Torah.”

Iran is home to some 25,000 Jews who are a recognized minority and are allocated one seat in parliament.

In a separate message, Zarif condemned the new sanctions imposed by Washington against Tehran. “US is the single biggest source of instability in MidEast. It may be deluded enough to believe that persistently violating int'l law, bullying sovereign nations & milking its clients projects strength. It does not. Its recklessness just displays panic of an empire in decline,” he said on Twitter late on Friday.

The United States on Friday imposed fresh Iran-related sanctions on 14 individuals and 17 entities, according to a statement posted on the US Department of the Treasury's website.