Iran blames Trump for instability, rejects 'rogue' label

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Iran blamed what it called US President Donald Trump's "arbitrary and conflicting policies" for global security threats, and rejected his description of Tehran as a rogue state on Saturday.

Tensions between Iran and the US have heightened since the election of Trump, who has often singled out Tehran as a key backer of militant groups.

President of Iran Hassan Rouhani (C), Speaker of the Parliament of Iran Ali Larijani (Center 2nd R) and Chief Justice of Iran Sadeq Larijani (Center R) attend the funeral ceremony of victims, who died in bombings of Iran's parliament and the Mausoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini, at the parliament building in Tehran, Iran on June 9, 2017. /VCG Photo

"(Trump) ought to seek the reason for subversion and rebellion in his own arbitrary and conflicting policies and actions, as well as those of his arrogant, aggressive and occupying allies in the region," said foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi, quoted by Iran's state news agency IRNA.

Trump on Thursday said new threats were emerging from "rogue regimes like North Korea, Iran and Syria and the governments that finance and support them."

Senior Iranian officials have blamed US-allied Saudi Arabia, Iran's Sunni Muslim regional rival, for instability and attacks in the Middle East, including last month's assaults that killed 18 people in Tehran.

Responding to criticism of the Islamic Republic from US President Donald Trump, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani gives a press conference on May 22, 2017 in Tehran, Iran. /VCG Photo

Saudi Arabia has denied involvement in the attacks which were claimed by ISIL.

While Trump has kept up his criticism of Tehran, a senior US official on Thursday said the president was "very likely" to state that Iran is adhering to its nuclear agreement with world powers, although he continues to have reservations about it.

(Source: Reuters)