Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman on Tuesday slammed Iran as being a “warmongering” regime, despite Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s “charm offensive.” The criticism follows Iran’s massive celebrations and posturing for the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.
Iranian semi-official news agency Fars reported that two new missiles were tested on Monday, on the eve of the anniversary. One is a laser-guided missile, and the other is a long-range ballistic missile that can carry multiple warheads and reportedly evade anti-missile defense systems.
The tests came amid a special show of the domestic military industry, that was accompanied by claims of having the “biggest army in the region.” They also came as Iran sent a naval fleet to challenge US maritime borders, and the same day the regime announced a new generation of centrifuges which are 15 times more powerful than those currently in use to enrich uranium.
To celebrate the revolution, Rouhani gave a speech in which he said “is it possible for the great revolutionary people…to accept humiliation by foreign powers or America after 35 years? It is as if they have not recognized the great nation of Iran. They don’t have the right understanding and knowledge of the Iranian people.”
Massive gatherings and parades in Iran reportedly featured memorable calls such as “down with the US,” “death to Israel,” and “we are ready for the final war.”
Liberman: ‘Iran threatening world behind mask of smiles’
In response to the massive outpouring of rhetoric and posturing, Liberman slammed the Islamic regime right before an official visit to France, which has been criticized for sending a delegation of 116 business people to “bet” on Iran’s future.
“The new missile tests conducted by Iran yesterday are further proof its intentions have not changed and the Iranians are not even hiding their being a warmongering state,” argued Liberman. “The only change in Iran is that now they threaten world peace behind a mask of smiles.”
Indeed, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in January publicly announced the nuclear talks are merely an Islamic deceptive tactic called “taqiyya.”
AFP reports that Liberman is scheduled to meet his French counterpart Laurent Fabius along with Interior Minister Manuel Valls, as well as Angel Gurria, head of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), along with French leaders of government and of the Jewish community.
Iran has succeeded in having the US lift sanctions through interim deals, even as the regime developed a new generation of centrifuges as noted above, and despite denying nuclear inspectors entrance to the Parchin military base long suspected as a nuclear bomb triggering device test site.
Iranian lawmaker, cleric, and Majilis (council) member Mohammed Nabavian said in January that “having a nuclear bomb is necessary to put down Israel.”
