Bolton warns of ‘hell to pay’ if Iran crosses US & allies as Rouhani dares Trump to return to talks
RT,
25
September, 2018
Hours
after the US and Iranian leaders took aim at each other at the UN
General Assembly, US National Security Adviser John Bolton said at an
anti-Iran summit that Tehran will have “hell to pay” if it
crosses the US or its allies.
“The
murderous regime and its supporters will face significant
consequences if they do not change their behavior. Let my message
today be clear: We are watching, and we will come after you,” Bolton
told the so-called United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) summit in New
York.
“If
you cross us, our allies, or our partners; if you harm our
citizens...there will indeed be hell to pay,” Bolton
said.
Bolton
said the US will be "aggressive
and unwavering" when
it comes to enforcing sanctions on Iran. He also referenced the
European Union's plan for an Iranian payments channel, accusing
Brussels of being strong on rhetoric and weak on follow-through. "We
do not intend for our sanctions to be evaded by Europe or anybody
else," he
said.
The
gathering, also attended by the likes of US Secretary of State Mike
Pompeo and Mossad Director Yossi Cohen, was not without incident.
Footage emerged from the conference showing activists of the
grassroots movement Code Pink disrupting the event while shouting
that Americans "want
peace" with
Iran.
Pompeo
responded on stage, saying: "This
is the second time I've had someone interrupt a speech on this topic,
and I've reminded them all that it would be a wonderful thing if they
could protest like that in the country of Iran." The
comment was met with applause from the audience.
The
fresh warnings to Iran come after US President Donald Trump took to
the UN General Assembly (UNGA) podium on Tuesday to call Iran
a "corrupt
dictatorship" that
sows "chaos,
death, and destruction."
Trump
also referenced sanctions placed on Iran, saying that Washington has
launched a campaign of "economic
pressure" to
deny Tehran the funds it needs to advance its "bloody
agenda."
"We
cannot allow the world's leading sponsor of terrorism to possess the
planet's most dangerous weapons," the
US president said.
Hours
later, it was Rouhani's turn to take to the stage. The Iranian
president took aim at the Trump administration, stating that its
behavior in international affairs is "authoritarian."
Rouhani
slammed the US for its "illegal" withdrawal
of the Iran nuclear deal, while adding that Tehran is pleased with
the fact that the rest of the international community did not follow
Washington's lead. "The
government of the United States of America, at least the current
administration, seems determined to render all international
institutions ineffectual," Rouhani
said.
He
also accused the US of believing that "might
makes right," and
said it does not attempt to conceal the fact that it wishes to
overthrow the very Iranian government that it is inviting to talks.
Rouhani,
however, also called for dialogue, saying it can begin with the US
coming "back
to the negotiating table" that
it walked away from, and with ending threats and "unjust
sanctions that negate the principles of ethics and international
law."
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