BICOM

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani hit back at Prime Minister David Cameron’s criticism of the Iranian regime.

At his speech last week at the UN General Assembly, Cameron said:“Iran’s support for terrorist organisations, its nuclear programme, its treatment of its people. All these need to change … But Iran’s leaders could help in defeating the threat from ISIL [ISIS]. They could help secure a more stable, inclusive Iraq; and a more stable and inclusive Syria. And if they are prepared to do this, then we should welcome their engagement.”

The comments were criticised by the speaker of the Iranian Parliament, former negotiator Ali Larijani. According to the Telegraph, Mr Larjani claimed Cameron used the “arrogant” tone of a “Pharaoh”.

The Guardian notes that Rouhani told Iranian reporters that Cameron “made comments later at his [UN] speech which were wrong and unacceptable … We live in the 21st century. If someone wants to go back and think in the ways of the 19th century, that’s their own loss.”

President Rouhani appears to have been particularly embarrassed by Mr Cameron’s comments; the two men had met immediately beforehand on the margins of the UN General Assembly meeting, in what was the first between a British and Iranian leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Rouhani’s deputy had told the Guardian that the meeting would “bring fundamental changes to Iran-EU relations as well the nuclear negotiations. It will be one of the biggest achievements of Dr Rouhani’s visit to New York and it will also have an affect on Tehran-London relations.”

Yesterday, however, Rouhani was keen to stress that the bilateral meeting was set up at the suggestion of the UK, not Iran.

In related news, AFP reports that Iran’s nuclear talks with the P5+1 group will resume by mid-October. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told Japan’s Kyodo News that Iran will not agree to an extension of the talks beyond the November 24 deadline.