United States President Donald Trump on Sunday delivered a forceful speech, calling Muslim leaders across the world to confront "the crisis of Islamic extremism", as he looks to present a united front against global terrorism. Trump also called for isolation of Iran for funding terrorists, drawing sharp criticism from Tehran.
Trump, speaking in Saudi Arabia, urged Muslim nations to join the United States against killing innocent people in the name of religion and the failure to take a firm and united stand against terrorism.
"This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects or different civilizations," Trump said. "This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life and decent people, all in the name of religion — people that want to protect life and want to protect their religion. This is a battle between good and evil."
"Drive them out! Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities. Drive them out of your holy land. And drive them out of this Earth," Trump added.
Trump calls for Iran's isolation
The US President also singled out Iran as promoting a "craven ideology" of terrorism, and called on the Muslim world to help him isolate Iran on an international front.
"From Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen, Iran funds, arms and trains terrorists, militias and other extremist groups that spread destruction and chaos across the region," Trump said in his speech.
"Until the Iranian regime is willing to be a partner for peace, all nations of conscience must work together to isolate it... and pray for the day when the Iranian people have the just and righteous government they so richly deserve."
Tehran hits back
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif slammed Trump's speech for attacking Tehran and said that the US President should spend his time in Riyadh discussing how to avoid Saudi Arabians "carrying out another" 9/11 attack in the US instead of making baseless terrorism associated claims against other countries.
Most of the 19 terrorists who killed nearly 3,000 people in New York Twin Towers in 2001 (9/11) were Saudi citizens and there have been repeated accusations that members of the Saudi hierarchy were involved in the attack.
Zarif also criticised Trump's arms deal and other investments with Saudi Arabia worth hundreds of billions of dollars. Saudi is Tehran's arch-rival in the Middle East, both the countries have accused each other of sponsoring militias aligned to their competing sects of Islam in conflicts across the Middle East
"Iran – fresh from real elections – attacked by @POTUS in that bastion of democracy & moderation. Foreign Policy or simply milking KSA of $480B?," Zarif wrote in a Twitter post, referring to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
