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| Women attend Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s public speech in the city of Khoy, West Azerbaijan province, Iran November 19, 2018 |
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on Muslims worldwide on Saturday to unite against the United States, instead of โrolling out red carpets for criminalsโ.
Washington in May reimposed sanctions on Tehran, after President Donald Trump pulled out of a 2015 international nuclear deal with Iran under which they had been lifted.
โSubmitting to the West headed by America would be treason against our religion โฆ and against the future generations of this region,โ Rouhani told an international conference on Islamic unity in Tehran, in a speech broadcast live on state television.
โWe have a choice to either roll out red carpets for criminals, or to forcefully stand against injustice and remain faithful to our Prophet, our Koran and our Islam,โ Rouhani said, in an apparent reference to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states which have close ties to Washington.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are regional rivals and have supported opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen and different political factions in Iraq and Lebanon.
โWe are ready to defend the interests of the Saudi people against terrorism, aggression and the superpowersโฆ and we donโt ask for $450bn to do it,โ Rouhani said, referring to Saudi Arabiaโs contracts with the United States.
