Iranian president Hassan Rouhani has said there is no need to respond to US leader Donald Trump’s “empty threats”.
Mr Rouhani’s remarks were his first since Mr Trump warned his Iranian counterpart of dire consequences for threatening the United States.
The Iranian leader told his Cabinet that there had been “baseless comments and empty threats” by “some US leaders”.
To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 23, 2018
He added: “There is no need for us to respond to any nonsensical comment and answer back to them.”
Mr Rouhani also said: “We should respond to them with action.”
He added Iran’s “strongest response to their cheap comments” would be “indifference to their plots and choosing to resist and foil their schemes”.
Mr Trump tweeted on Sunday that if Iran threatened the US, it would “suffer consequences”.
He tempered these remarks on Tuesday, saying: “We’re ready to make a real deal” with Iran.
