Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 23 May 2017
Iran’s president criticizes U.S. after Trump’s sharp words

ADAM SCHRECK tions for president, parlia- of “the threat posed by
Associated Press ment and other posts. The Iran” through the possibil-
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s elections remain tightly ity of it acquiring nuclear
newly re-elected Presi- controlled, however, and weapons and its support of
dent Hassan Rouhani took many candidates are ex- militant groups.
barbed swipes at the U.S. cluded during a pre-elec- Also Monday, the foreign
and its ally Saudi Arabia on tion vetting process. ministers of France and
Monday, hitting back at Ultimate power in Iran rests Germany said their coun-
both a day after President not with the president but tries want to work with Iran
Donald Trump used his first with the supreme leader, following Rouhani’s re-elec-
foreign trip to the kingdom who is chosen by a clerical tion but are pressing Tehran
to call for further isolation of panel and has the final say to keep to the nuclear deal
Iran. over all matters of state. and to help de-escalate
The 68-year-old cleric, a po- The Sunni kingdom and Shi- Mideast conflicts.
litical moderate within Iran ite power Iran haven’t had French Foreign Minister
who secured a resound- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a press conference diplomatic relations since Jean-Yves Le Drian said
ing victory over a hard-line in Tehran, Iran, Monday, May 22, 2017. early 2016. That’s when France is convinced that
opponent, called relations Associated Press Saudi Arabia executed a Iran under Rouhani will
with the United States “a prominent Shiite cleric and have “an important role
curvy road” even as he Syria, they made mistakes, nian-backed forces have protesters in Iran attacked in the pacification” of the
touted the 2015 nuclear and also in Yemen.” been fighting Islamic State two of the kingdom’s dip- region. “We expect Iran to
accord Iran secured with Rouhani also criticized Sau- militants in Iraq and sup- lomatic posts. Saudi Ara- behave responsibly ... not
the Obama administration di Arabia, Tehran’s main re- port the government of bia immediately cut diplo- to support terror,” said his
and other world powers as gional rival, just hours after President Bashar Assad in its matic ties and other Sunni German counterpart Sig-
a “win-win” agreement. Trump departed the coun- battle against Sunni fight- Arab countries in the Gulf mar Gabriel.
He was less flattering in his try bound for Israel, where ers in Syria. “Who can claim have taken a harder line At the Tehran press con-
assessment of the Trump he arrived Monday. He said that stability of the region on Iran since. Rouhani won ference, Rouhani also de-
administration so far. Rou- the Sunni-ruled kingdom can be restored without another four-year term Fri- fended Iran’s ballistic missile
hani said that Iranians are “has never seen a ballot Iran?” he said. day in a vote that many program, something heav-
“waiting for this govern- box,” a pointed dig in the Rouhani made a point saw as a referendum on ily criticized by Trump’s new
ment to become stable wake of Iran’s presidential to stress that Trump’s visit his push for international administration. The Trump
intellectually” and that election Friday that drew came amid Iran’s presiden- outreach that led to the administration in February
“hopefully, things will set- long lines as over 40 million tial election, saying that nuclear deal, as well as a sanctioned more than two
tle down ... so we could people voted. such elections “are not in vote of confidence that his dozen people and compa-
pass more accurate judg- Rouhani further criticized their (Saudis’) dictionary.” government will be able to nies in retaliation for a bal-
ments.” the Saudi summit that “I hope that the day will help the country’s sputter- listic missile test, warning it
“The Americans do not Trump attended on Sun- come that Saudi Arabia will ing economy. had put the Islamic Repub-
know our region, that’s day, describing it as a adopt this path,” he said. Trump has threatened to lic “on notice.”
what the catch is,” Rouhani “show-off” that “will not “They should have polling try to renegotiate the deal, “The U.S. leaders should
said in response to a ques- have any political and stations in place for the which saw Iran accept know that whenever we
tion from The Associated practical values.” people and let the rulers curbs on its contested nu- need a missile test because
Press. “Unfortunately, Amer- “The issue of terrorism can- not be on a hereditary ba- clear program in exchange of a technical aspect, we
icans have always made not be solved through giv- sis. They should be picked for the lifting of some inter- will test,” he said. “We will
mistakes in our region,” he ing money to superpow- by the people.” national economic sanc- not wait for them and their
continued. “When they at- ers,” Rouhani said, adding Unlike Saudi Arabia, which tions. Trump repeatedly has permission.”
tacked Afghanistan (and) that his nation would “up- occasionally holds elec- criticized Iran in speeches Rouhani added: “Our mis-
Iraq, when they made root terrorism” and bring tions for municipal councils, on his first foreign trip. In Isra- siles are for peace, not for
sanctions against Iran. In stability to the region. Ira- Iran regularly holds elec- el on Monday, he warned attack.”q

Yazidi activist weary after years of anti-IS campaigning

GEORGE JAHN goodwill ambassador, has of IS and its members for
Associated Press been the public face of crimes against humanity so
VIENNA (AP) — Nadia Mu- the ongoing plight of Yazidi far has not produced tan-
rad managed to escape women and girls who were gible results, and Murad
the Islamic State militants abducted, held in captiv- acknowledges she is con-
who enslaved her and ity and repeatedly raped sidering passing the torch.
other Yazidi women in Iraq. after the Iraqi area of Sin- “As of December, it will be
A comment betrays how jar fell to Islamic State mili- two years that I’ve been
deeply the scars from the tants in August 2014. Since telling my story,” she told
ordeal run more than two escaping three months into The Associated Press Mon-
years after she broke free. her own captivity, her story day. “I will not be able to
Asked when she is happy, has drawn attention to the continue forever.”
Murad doesn’t wait for her Yazidi, a religious that fac- Murad is working on a
interpreter to finish translat- es persecution and forced memoir, “The Last Girl: My
ing the question. conversion to Islam. Help- Story of Captivity, and My
The slight and soft-spoken ing to seek accountabil- Fight Against the Islamic
activist is nonetheless out- ity for Islamic State group State,” that is scheduled
spoken in her quest to bring victims is human rights law- to be published on Oct. Human rights activist Nadia Murad speaks during an interview
IS members to justice. yer Amal Clooney. But the 31. She also plans to re- with The Associated Press at the International Center in Vienna,
Murad, a Nobel Peace push for an internationally duce her public speaking Austria, Monday, May 22, 2017.
Prize nominee and a U.N. sponsored investigation schedule.q Associated Press