Iranian official calls U.S. the biggest sponsor of terrorism

TEHRAN, Nov. 20 (MNA) – Mohammad Javad Larijani, the secretary general of the High Council for Human Rights, called the United States the biggest state sponsor of terrorism and Israel a racist regime. Larijani, who has travelled to New York with a delegation of human rights officials, made the remarks during a television debate in the MSNBC show “Morning Joe” on November 17. Larijani said, “The United States of America is the largest and the greatest country supporting terrorism,” according to msnbc. “The record of terrorist activity which is supported by tax money of these people is enormous,” he added. Larijani also called Israel a “renegade state” that is “the source of all tension in the region.” Asked directly if he supported Israel’s right to exist, Larijani called Israel a “racist regime”. Elsewhere in his remarks, Larijani dismissed as “laughable” the most recent International Atomic Energy Agency report that Iran has been conducting research and experiments geared to developing a nuclear weapons capability. He said the IAEA’s allegations were “based on a document put to us four years ago,” adding, “It (was) discussed with the agency and the conclusion was that none of these allegations could be verified.” The whole issue was “closed” at that time, he said, because the evidence was “totally inconclusive”. Larijani compared Iran’s nuclear program to Israel’s, noting that Israel already has nuclear weapons and does not disclose any details of its program.