Tehran: Top Iranian officials lashed out
today at US General David Petraeus for his comments asserting
the Islamic republic is becoming a "thugocracy", saying such
terms are only used by "thugs."
"The murderous government of the United States is a
government of thugs which has killed thousands of Iraqis,
Afghans and Palestinians," Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani
said in the assembly.
"This exhausted general has insulted the Iranian
government by calling it a government of thugocracy. It is
understandable why you (Petraeus) utter such comments because
the people of the region hate you," the official IRNA news
agency quoted Larijani as saying.
Petraeus, the head of US Central Command, said on
Sunday that Iran is becoming a "thugocracy" given its attempts
to suppress popular anger over last year`s contested
presidential vote results.
"I think you`ve heard it said by pundits that Iran
has gone from being a theocracy to a thugocracy," Petraeus,
whose command stretches from Egypt to Pakistan and includes
Iran, said on CNN.
Washington has sharply criticised Tehran for its
crackdown on anti-government protesters since the disputed
re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June last
year.
PTI
