Iranian president: Trump White House ‘afflicted by mental retardation’

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Tuesday criticized new U.S. sanctions against Tehran’s top officials, knocking the Trump White House as “afflicted by mental retardation.”

Rouhani blasted the “outrageous and idiotic” sanctions during a live televised report, according to The Associated Press. 

“The White House is afflicted by mental retardation and does not know what to do,” Rouhani added.{mosads}

The Trump administration on Monday slapped new sanctions on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking Iranian leaders. 

Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office that he said will deny the supreme leader and others access to financial instruments, a move that came amid simmering tensions between Washington and Tehran.

“The supreme leader of Iran is one who ultimately is responsible for the hostile conduct of the regime,” Trump said. “He’s respected within his country. His office oversees the regime’s most brutal instruments.”

Rouhani mocked the sanctions against Khamenei, an 80-year-old Shiite cleric who has no plans to ever travel to the U.S., the AP noted.

The sanctions come after Iran last week shot down a U.S. drone that Tehran claimed violated its airspace. U.S. officials have maintained the aircraft was in international airspace, calling the action “unprovoked.”

Trump said last Friday that he called off a retaliatory strike after learning it would result in 150 Iranian deaths.

“We do not seek conflict with Iran or any other country,” Trump said on Monday. “I look forward to discussing whatever I have to discuss with anybody that wants to speak. In the meantime, who knows what’s going to happen. I can only tell you we cannot ever let Iran have a nuclear weapon.”