“We saw that unfortunately populism is deeply rooted in such countries, in spite of their scientific and industrial progress,” Rouhani said on Thursday while addressing the inauguration ceremony of three major national projects through video conference.
Four people were killed after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building to protest the ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that will confirm President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
The pro-Trump protesters clashed with police officers and got to the Capitol building on Wednesday afternoon, prompting an evacuation of the House floor by police. Later, Mayor Muriel E. Bowser of Washington imposed a citywide curfew from 6 p.m. on Wednesday until 6 a.m. on Thursday.
“We have seen what damage a populist person has inflicted upon his own country in the last four years, bringing disgrace upon his nation while also inflicting great damage on our region, on Palestine, Syria and Yemen,” President Rouhani said, referring to Trump.
He added that when an “unfit person” gains power, he would cause numerous problems for his country and the world.
Trump has attempted to overturn the results of the November 3 presidential election, filing dozens of legal challenges in several states over what he has claimed to be voter fraud, and stating that he will never concede the election. His rhetoric has been described by many as an attack on US democracy.
“I hope this would be a lesson for the whole world and also for the next rulers of the White House,” Rouhani noted.
The president advised the incoming Biden administration to compensate for Trump’s mistakes and to return to the rule of law.
Since assuming office on January 20, 2017, Trump has pulled out of several international organizations and agreements, including the Iran nuclear deal.
Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was followed by a “maximum pressure” policy against Iran, which Tehran has termed as an act of “economic terrorism” and “economic war.”
Last month, Rouhani said Trump was similar to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in that they both waged wars on the Islamic Republic, predicting that Trump’s fate will not be better than Saddam’s.
“There were two maniacs who waged wars against the Iranian people; one was Saddam who imposed a military war and the other was Trump who started an economic war on us,” he told a cabinet meeting in Tehran on December 23.