Iran’s supreme leader: Reagan was wiser, more powerful than Trump

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday ripped President Trump, comparing the president to former President Ronald Reagan and vowing that Iran would endure any U.S. presidency.

In a series of tweets Thursday morning, Khamenei said that Reagan was both more “powerful” and “wise” than Trump, yet was unable to topple Iran’s government.

“Reagan was both wiser and more powerful than Trump. They took measures against Iran: they shot down one of our passenger aircrafts. But where is Reagan, and how powerful is the Islamic Republic now?” tweeted Khamenei.{mosads}

“U.S. govt spends a tremendous amount of money on sowing discord among people, and takes up the wealth of rich rulers in the region. By God’s Grace— they should know— we will progress powerfully. By God’s will, we will disappoint U.S. on all arenas,” he added.

Reagan was both wiser and more powerful than Trump. They took measures against Iran: they shot down one of our passenger aircrafts. But where is Reagan, and how powerful is the Islamic Republic now?

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) December 27, 2017

U.S. govt spends a tremendous amount of money on sowing discord among people, and takes up the wealth of rich rulers in the region. By God’s Grace— they should know— we will progress powerfully. By God’s will, we will disappoint U.S. on all arenas.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) December 27, 2017

Khamenei’s first tweet refers to the July 1988 crash of Iran Air flight 655, which was shot down by a U.S. guided missile over Iranian airspace under orders from the U.S. military.

The Reagan administration explained the incident at the time as an error caused by U.S. warships identifying the flight incorrectly as an incoming Iranian military aircraft.

The U.S. reached a settlement at the International Criminal Court over the incident in 1996 and paid more than $60 million in compensation, but did not admit fault. 

Trump moved to decertify Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal in October after months of the administration saying otherwise. The president has stopped short of backing out of the deal entirely, which Trump has called an “embarrassment” and a foreign policy blunder of the Obama administration.

“I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification,” Trump said in October. “We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror and the very real threat of Iran’s nuclear breakout.”