Iran's president trashes Trump's diplomacy failure: 'Outrageous and idiotic'

Iran’s president mocked Trump on Tuesday, calling him “mentally crippled” and describing his recent actions on Iranian policy “outrageous and idiotic.”

The comments stand in stark contrast to Trump’s repeated boasts that he has made America more respected, and that Iran has been intimidated by his haphazard actions.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made a televised address to his country and said Trump was “mentally crippled,” according to the Washington Post. The Associated Press reported that Rouhani also said the Trump White House has been “afflicted by mental retardation.”

The slam from Iran followed Trump’s Oval Office announcement on Monday of sanctions against the Iranian regime. In that speech, Trump cited the long-dead “Ayatollah Khomeini” as someone who would be affected by the policy.

Rouhani called the sanctions “outrageous and idiotic,” and criticized the Trump administration for making the decision while also calling for diplomacy.

Days before that, Trump ordered a military strike against Iran, only to call off the mission at the last moment while fighter jets were still in the air. Then he claimed the U.S. military had failed to make a casualty estimate. That turned out to be a lie.

Trump hunkered down at Camp David over the weekend with his junior aides — including his in-house tweeter Dan Scavino — as he reeled from the cascade of foreign policy bumbling.

The episode stands in contrast to Trump’s repeated boasting that he has energized and revitalized American foreign policy, and that his policies have subdued Iran.

Last year he told Fox News that in Iran, “They haven’t screamed ‘death to America’ lately.” But it wasn’t true, as an AP fact check noted.

“It remains a staple of hard-line demonstrations, meetings with current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, official ceremonies, parliamentary sessions and main Friday prayer services in Tehran and across the country,” AP reported.

In fact, Iranian lawmakers took up the chant on Sunday while Trump was at his retreat.

“America is respected again,” Trump has also often claimed. But Trump cannot even secure respect from officials within his own administration.

Last year, Trump fumed at reports that his then-chief of staff John Kelly had called him an “idiot.” It was reported that former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson described Trump as a “fucking moron,” while former national security adviser H.R. McMaster reportedly said Trump was an “idiot”  and a “dope,” and said he had the intelligence of a “kindergartener.”

The Iranian leadership, like North Korea’s, has been on the fringes of world leadership for years. But Trump’s inept handling of serious global issues, combined with his ego and paper-thin skin, has created an opening for disrespect and dismissal.

Instead of America having the upper hand on the global stage, Trump has created an opening for derision and insults.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.