Syria strikes prove political bankruptcy of US, allies: Iran's Salehi

A senior Iranian official says recent US-led missile attack against Syria proved the political bankruptcy of Washington and its allies.

The strikes against Syria were carried out under a pretext similar to that used by former US Secretary of State Colin Powell which led to Washington's invasion of Iraq in 2003, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi told reporters on Monday, Press TV reported.

During his presentation to the United Nations Security Council in February 2003, Powell claimed that Iraq might have tried to buy uranium from Niger in order to use for non-peaceful purposes; however, after two years, it was proved that his documents were fake, Salehi added.

He noted that the false US claims made people all over the world vigilant and acquainted them with the "real identity of the aggressive countries."

It has become clear to the people that the US statesmen used an "unwise, cruel and savage policy" on Syria, he emphasized.

In a phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the "aggressive" US move to carry out military strikes against Syria reveals that Washington has direct ties with terrorists.

"The Americans showed such a reaction when they felt that the terrorists were dislodged from an important region like Eastern Ghouta," Rouhani said.

The Iranian president also held a telephone conversation with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, on Saturday, and said the US-led attacks ran contrary to the principles of international law and were considered as a blatant sign of support for terrorism.

Rouhani said, "At a time that terrorists are suffering a defeat in Syria on a daily basis, such aggressive act certainly means support for these defeated groups."

SS