Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called Western democracy "weak and fragile" amid the storming of the US Capitol building during the certification of presidential election results by the US Congress on 6 January.
In televised comments, translated by correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari, Rouhani said that violent events in America's capital were a result of the "populist" actions of President Donald Trump.
"He tarnished his country's image and damaged America's ties with the whole world," Rouhani was quoted as saying.
Iran's President Rouhani on events on Capitol Hill: "What we saw last night in America showed that Western democracy is weak...Look what a populist did to America. He tarnished his country's image and damaged America's ties with the whole world. " https://t.co/G3VawzQQkQ
— Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) January 7, 2021
The United States and Iran have been at loggerheads over a number of incidents, including President Trump's order to kill Iranian Major General Qasem Soleimani in a US drone strike last January, America's unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear agreement, and a stream of sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic's fuel, weapon and metals sectors.
Iranian President Rouhani previously said that he was "very happy" to see that "terrorist" Trump would leave the White House, dubbing him "the most lawbreaking person" in the United States.
Chaos in Washington
On 6 January the US Congress was set to hold a joint session to certify Joe Biden's victory in US presidential election that was confirmed by Electoral College voters on 14 December.
President Donald Trump maintained that he would refuse to concede the election and called upon Vice President Mike Pence to oppose the certification. As the session began, Pence, as the president of the Senate, said that he would back the procedure, defying Trump's request.
The president bitterly regretted this decision, but urged the protests in his support to remain peaceful. However, the demonstrators eventually scaled the Capitol building's walls and broke into the US legislature building, temporarily prompting lawmakers to take shelter and hide. One person was reportedly shot dead during the confrontation, and three others are said to have died from "separate medical emergencies". Dozens of arrests have been made since the violent event.
