Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has accused Washington of attempting to define the fate of the Middle East, saying that it's not their job to decide how the region lives, in a speech during a ceremony in Tabriz. He also suggested that the US is interested in the Middle East's resources, rather than the well-being of the people who live there.
"Where have you set your greedy eyes on? On the underground reserves of black gold or the multi-billion-dollar bank accounts of certain regional Arab countries?" Rouhani said.
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Commenting on Trump's recent statement that "immensely wealthy" Arab countries wouldn't survive without US support, Rouhani noted that its military supplies to Saudi Arabia haven't brought peace and that Arab countries can defend themselves.
"You say if […] we are not here, you will cease to exist in a matter of a week. Why would they? We are protecting Iraq. The Iraqi nation is protecting Iraq. We are prepared to protect Saudi Arabia. The Saudi nation is protecting Saudi Arabia," the Iranian president said, adding that if the US would "care to leave forever, security will be totally restored to the region."
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He also slammed Macron's statement that the Iran deal will be reworked, saying that the US, along with "the leader of some European country," can't decide on an agreement reached by seven parties.
During a recent meeting between Macron and Trump, the two leaders discussed an array of matters, including the Iran deal and the US military presence in Syria. Trump has previously expressed his dissatisfaction with the deal and warned that unless it's "fixed," the US will withdraw from the agreement.
