Iranian President Tells Iran’s Neighbors to Ignore Propaganda From ‘Warmongering Zionist Regime’

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is using Twitter to respond to criticism of the country's newly reached nuclear deal.

Iranian President Hassan stands next to a portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as he leaves at the end of a press conference in Tehran on June 13, 2015. There are still "many differences over details" of a nuclear deal Iran and world powers are trying to conclude by June 30, Rouhani said.  AFP PHOTO / BEHROUZ MEHRI        (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)
Iranian President Hassan stands next to a portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as he leaves at the end of a press conference in Tehran on June 13, 2015. There are still "many differences over details" of a nuclear deal Iran and world powers are trying to conclude by June 30, Rouhani said. AFP PHOTO / BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)
Iranian President Hassan stands next to a portrait of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as he leaves at the end of a press conference in Tehran on June 13, 2015. There are still "many differences over details" of a nuclear deal Iran and world powers are trying to conclude by June 30, Rouhani said. AFP PHOTO / BEHROUZ MEHRI (Photo credit should read BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has a message for his country’s neighbors: Don’t listen to Israel.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has a message for his country’s neighbors: Don’t listen to Israel.

Tweeting from his English-language account on Tuesday, Rouhani called Israel a warmongering, propaganda-spewing, Zionist regime.

Rouhani went on to say the entire region will benefit from Iran’s stability and progress.

His tweets were likely in response to the spate of Israeli politicians who criticized the deal publicly. Tzipi Hotovely, Israel’s deputy foreign minister, tweeted Tuesday that the deal is a “historic surrender by the West to the axis of evil headed by Iran.”

And when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke publicly about the deal on Tuesday, he reiterated his already evident feelings about the agreement: that it’s a fast-track to Iran obtaining a nuclear bomb.

“Iran is going to receive a sure path to nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said Tuesday. “Many of the restrictions that were supposed to prevent it from getting there will be lifted.”

Rouhani’s response to that?

Iran is simply not interested in developing weapons of mass destruction.

Coming from highly censored Iran, it’s no surprise that Rouhani’s activity on Twitter showed his lack of expertise on the site.

When he tried to write a sentimental tweet about the mutual respect that pervaded throughout the negotiations on Tuesday, he missed a crucial letter in #IranDeal.

Photo credit: BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP/Getty Images

More from Foreign Policy

Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.
Newspapers in Tehran feature on their front page news about the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing the previous day, on March, 11 2023.

Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America

The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.

Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.
Austin and Gallant stand at podiums side by side next to each others' national flags.

The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense

If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin lays flowers at the Moscow Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden during an event marking Defender of the Fatherland Day in Moscow.

Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War

Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.

An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.
An Iranian man holds a newspaper reporting the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, in Tehran on March 11.

How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests

And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.