Iranian Judiciary Chief Lashes Out at UK Over May's Pledge to Counteract Tehran

Iran’s Chief Justice Amoli Larijani lashed out on Monday at UK Prime Minister Theresa May for calling Iran a threat to the regional security.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — May said at last Wednesday’s Gulf Co-Operation Council that Iran posed a threat to Gulf nations and the wider Middle East, and pledged to work together with other countries to counteract its influence.

"A country that has come to the Persian Gulf from thousands of kilometers away to set up military bases accuses the Islamic Republic … of undermining regional security," Larijani said, as quoted by the Tasnim news agency.

The cleric, who heads Iran’s justice system, reportedly urged Tehran to give May a crushing response and tell Britain it was under the delusion of being an empire.

The UK government accuses Iran of sending fighters to Syria to back President Bashar Assad and supporting Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Britain supports the opposing sides in both conflicts.