Trump’s Absurd Remarks Prove His Hostility toward Iranians: UN Envoy

"These absurd remarks, more than anything, show (Trump's) ignorance about thousands of years of the Iranian history and a lack of knowledge about the Iranian people,” Majid Takht Ravanchi said.

The strong reaction by the Iranian diplomat came after Trump on Thursday called Iran "a nation of terror" despite his earlier patronizing messages to the Iranian people.

The US president's contradictory words about Iran are a clear sign of his endless hostility toward Iran and its great nation, Takht Ravanchi stated.

“Iran has been the biggest victim and at the same time the most powerful enemy of terrorism in the region,” he said, adding that destroying Daesh and other terror groups in recent years has been among Iran’s latest measures in this regard.

“Trump's insistence on using insulting words against the Iranian nation only doubles the people’s determination to resist the policy of pressure and intimidation,” Takht Ravanchi said.

Speaking to reporters in Washington on Thursday, Trump said, “Iran has been a very dangerous player, a very bad player. They are a nation of terror and we won’t put up with it."

His remarks came against the backdrop of increased tensions between Iran and the US with Washington imposing new sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The US has ratcheted up pressure on Iran since last year after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Since then, the administration of US President Donald Trump is trying to reduce Iran’s oil exports to “zero,” and has sent an aircraft carrier strike group, a bomber squad, an amphibious assault ship, and a Patriot missile battery to the Middle East to try to stack up pressure on Tehran.

Iranian officials, however, have dismissed such moves as psychological warfare, saying the country has its own ways of circumventing the American bans and selling crude oil.