‘Never threaten the Iranian nation,’ Iran president tells Trump

Rouhani responded to a tweet from US president in which he threatened to strike 52 sites in Iran

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday nobody should threaten his nation, responding to a tweet from US President Donald Trump in which he threatened to strike 52 sites in Iran.

"Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. #IR655," Rouhani tweeted, referring to the 1988 shooting down of an Iranian airline by a US warship in which 290 were killed.

"Never threaten the Iranian nation."

Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. #IR655
Never threaten the Iranian nation.

— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) January 6, 2020

Tensions between the two countries spiked last week when a US drone strike in Baghdad killed Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force.

Pompeo says US will act 'lawfully' after Trump’s ‘war crime’ threat to Iran

While Iran has threatened retaliation for the killing, Trump has warned that the US will strike “very hard and very fast” at as many as 52 Iranian targets if the Islamic republic does attack US personnel or assets.

Huge crowds turned out on Monday in Iran for the 62-year-old commander’s funeral, while in neighboring Iraq, parliament has voted to expel some 5,200 US troops stationed in the country.