Iran’s Khamenei slams ‘cowardly’ European govts

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday accused the governments of Britain, France and Germany of being “American lackeys” in the face of US pressure over the nuclear accord.

The United States has threatened to impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports of European cars if European Union governments continue to back the nuclear deal, according to German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

During a sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran, Khamenei accused the “wicked” governments of Britain, France and Germany of “threatening Iran to take the nuclear issue to the (UN) Security Council.”

Iran’s top leader said the launch of the dispute mechanism was “done to overshadow” the killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike in Baghdad, and Iran’s subsequent retaliation.

Last week, Iran fired a volley of missiles at US troops stationed in Iraqi military bases, wounding 11 American soldiers. Khamenei accused the European governments of historic animosity towards Iran.

“These three countries are the ones that during the (Iran-Iraq war) helped Saddam Hussein as much as they could,” he said, referring to the former Iraqi dictator and Iran’s erstwhile foe.

“It has been proven now, after about a year, that they are, in the true sense of the word, America’s lackeys, and these cowardly governments are waiting for the Iranian nation to surrender,” he said.

“Even when they negotiate, their negotiations are tainted with deceit... those behind the negotiating table, those gentlemen, are the same as the terrorists at Baghdad airport” who killed Soleimani, he said. “They cannot be trusted.”