President Rouhani to Trump: Never Threaten the Iranian Nation

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that if Tehran attacks US assets in retaliation for the killing of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Washington will strike 52 sites in Iran "very fast and very hard."

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani took to Twitter to respond to President Trump's threat to attack 52 targets in Iran.

Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. #IR655
Never threaten the Iranian nation.

— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 6, 2020

The figure '290' refers to the number of people who were killed when Iran Air Flight 655 was shot down on 3 July 1988 by a surface-to-air missile fired from the USS Vincennes, a guided-missile cruiser of the United States Navy. According to the US government, the crew of USS Vincennes had incorrectly identified the Airbus as an attacking F-14 Tomcat, a US-made jet fighter that had been part of the Iranian Air Force since the 1970s.  ​

Donald Trump delivers remarks on Iran

© AP Photo / Evan Vucci

On 5 January, US President Donald Trump warned Iran against retaliating for the killing of its top military commander Soleimani, saying that otherwise Washington would strike 52 sites in the Islamic Republic "very fast and very hard." He explained that the targets represented the 52 Americans who were held hostage in Iran in 1979.

Last Friday, the US carried out a drone strike on Baghdad international airport, killing Iran's Major General Qasem Soleimani, Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and 10 more people who were in the convoy.