Iran’s Defense Minister Urges World to Counter Trumpism

Iran's Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami speaks to reporters
upon his arrival in the Russian capital of Moscow.

MOSCOW - Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami on Tuesday deplored U.S. President Donald Trump’s moves against international law, saying Trump has posed serious threats to global security.

Speaking to reporters upon his arrival at the Vnukovo International Airport in Moscow, Brigadier General Hatami said, "Today, we are facing various security issues in the world.”

"Today, the most important issue of the world is Trumpism, which has a similar feature to Nazism,” he said, adding that Trump has put the world security in serious danger with such characteristics as selfishness, oppression and violating human principles and international rules.

Brigadier General Hatami also said he has traveled to Russia to attend the eighth Moscow Conference on International Security at the official invitation of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation is organizing the annual Conference on International Security in Moscow on April 23-25, 2019, according to its official website.

The conference agenda will encompass the problems of utmost significance in terms of shaping views on international security.

Separate plenary sessions will offer space to exchange views on modern military challenges and threats, including the improvement of the arms control system.
Meanwhile,Iranian Ambassador to Russia Mehdi Sanaei and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov exchanged views about a host of issues, including recent measures adopted by the U.S. administration against the Islamic Republic.

During the meeting, held in Moscow, Sanaei and Ryabkov deplored Washington’s unilateral sanctions and provocative actions against Iran as contrary to international regulations, saying the moves would increase disorder and chaos in the world.    

The two sides also stressed the need for cooperation on regional and international issues, including the 2015 nuclear deal.

It came after the White House said on Monday that Trump "has decided not to reissue” waivers regarding sanctions against countries importing Iranian oil when the waivers expire "in early May”.

The exact deadline is May 2.

"This decision is intended to bring Iran's oil exports to zero, denying the regime its principal source of revenue,” the statement from White House press secretary Sarah Sanders read.

Countries that continue to import Iranian oil in large amounts include India, China, South Korea, Japan and Turkey.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to "ensure an appropriate supply of oil for the markets" in order to make up for the loss of Iranian oil in the global market.

In May 2018, the U.S. president pulled his country out of the Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal that was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations among Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the U.S., Britain, France and Germany).

Following the U.S. withdrawal, Iran and the remaining parties launched talks to save the accord.