While the refrain “Death to America” is often chanted in Iran, one lawmaker in the country has reportedly taken it a step further, putting a multimillion-dollar bounty on President Trump.
“On behalf of the people of Kerman province, we will pay a $3 million reward in cash to whoever kills Trump,” lawmaker Ahmad Hamzeh told parliament, ISNA news agency reported, according to Reuters.
The U.S. called the threat “ridiculous.”
U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood dismissed the reward as “ridiculous”, telling reporters in Geneva it showed the “terrorist underpinnings” of Iran’s establishment. (Reuters)
Kerman province is Qassem Soleimani’s hometown—the former Quds Force commander the U.S. killed in an air strike on January 3.
Hamzeh reportedly said the country could avoid future threats if it possessed nuclear weapons.
“If we had nuclear weapons today, we would be protected from threats ... We should put the production of long-range missiles capable of carrying unconventional warheads on our agenda. This is our natural right,” he said, reports ISNA.
Earlier this month Iran said it was backing out of its commitments to the nuclear deal.
“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has in a statement announced its fifth and final step in reducing Iran’s commitments under the JCPOA,” a state TV broadcaster said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran no longer faces any limitations in operations.”
Last week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Iran is enriching more uranium than it did before the 2015 JCPOA.
“We are enriching more uranium before the deal was reached,” Rouhani announced. “Pressure has increased on Iran but we continue to progress.''
“We have no limits on the nuclear file, and we are increasing enrichment every day,” he added.