“Pompeo makes sure that every time he talks about Iran, he insults me,” Zarif said. A senior European diplomat said it was vital for top US and Iranian officials to be on “speaking terms” to prevent an incident from mushrooming into a crisis. US military officials cite growing concern about Iran’s development of precise missiles and its support for proxy forces in Syria, Iraq, Yemen and beyond. In the absence of direct talks, Twitter has become a common forum for US and Iranian officials to trade biting barbs. Pompeo in February called Zarif and Iran’s president “front men for a corrupt religious mafia” in a tweet.

Source: bd News24 May 24, 2019 10:18 UTC