TEHRAN – The Iranian embassy in Kuwait has reacted to recent remarks by the U.S. special representative for Iran about transfer of the coronavirus from Iran to regional states, saying American officials are insulting the intelligence of the regional people through their Iranophobic rhetoric.

“We advise [Brian] Hook not to wade into such an argument,” the embassy said in a statement, according to Press TV. 

The statement advised Hook to compare the large number of the coronavirus-infected people who have traveled to Kuwait from the United States to the number of infected people who have traveled there from Iran.

“Coming up with this style of Iranophobia amounts to an insult to the intelligence of the regional people and the understanding of Kuwaiti nation,” the diplomatic mission added.

It also pointed out that the new highly-infectious virus was a global phenomenon that has entangled the entire world alike and did not discriminate among countries.

On a recent tour to West Asian countries, including Qatar and Kuwait, Hook had alleged that the Islamic Republic exported the novel virus to littoral Persian Gulf countries.

“Those who are not merciful towards their own people, would definitely not have mercy on others either,” the Iranian embassy says in response to Hook’s claims.

Also recently, Kuwait began allowing its citizens and residents to travel to and from the Arab country but has barred those trying to reach there from seven states, including Iran.

The Iranian embassy in Kuwait further censured Hook’s regional tour for trying to encourage regional countries toward non-commitment to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231.

The United States has been seeking support for its demand of extending a 13-year UN weapons embargo on Iran. However, Russia and China, which are both members of the UN Security Council, oppose the embargo.

The UN arms embargo is due to expire in October under United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2231 that endorsed the 2015 nuclear deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The U.S. abandoned the JCPOA on May 8, 2018, and pursued a policy of “maximum pressure” on Iran to force it to negotiate a new deal but to no avail.

In his visit to Riyadh, Hook claimed that lifting the UN arms embargo on Iran will trigger an arms race in West Asia.

“This is not an outcome that the UN Security Council can accept. The council's mandate is clear: to maintain international peace and security,” he claimed.

The U.S. diplomat made similar remarks in Bahrain and the UAE.

The Iranian embassy further said, “Before starting to be [supposedly] sympathetic towards the people of the region, the U.S. had better be concerned about its own citizens, especially the people of color.”

“Those who are not merciful towards their own people, would definitely not have mercy on others either,” the mission concluded.

MH/PA