Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday dismissed the elections in Israel as "meaningless," Wednesday, implying Washington's designation of Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization was aimed at paving the way for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu re-election.
"It is crystal clear to Iranians what the U.S. is pursuing with the move," Rouhani said.
"All the crimes and wrong measures of the U.S. were meant to pave the way for one person to succeed in the occupied territories' elections,' he said, referring to Netanyahu.
Shortly after Washington announced its decision to blacklist the IRGC, Netanyahu praised U.S. President Donald Trump, saying he had responded to a "request of mine."
Rouhani went on to say that "if they want to hold elections, it's the Palestinians that should vote, not the occupiers."
Rouhani also proposed holding a referendum in the Middle East to find out who the "oppressor" was.
"The U.S. policies have always been supported by a few states but in the international arena – the big powers in Europe, Asia-Pacific as well as other regions – have backed Iran on the nuclear deal and endorsed Syria and the Palestinians in the cases of the Golan Heights and Al-Quds [Jerusalem]," Rouhani said.
The Iranian president accused Washington of waging "psychological warfare against Tehran aimed at isolating the Islamic Republic. "
Washington's decision to designate the Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization on Monday marked the first time the U.S. branded the arm of a foreign government a terrorist group.
It effectively means that anyone who deals with the Revolutionary Guards could be sentenced to prison in the United States.
Trump called the 125,000 strong Revolutionary Guards Tehran's "primary means of directing and implementing its global terrorist campaign."
Tehran swiftly retaliated by blacklisting U.S. Central Command as a terrorist organization, a move that will likely impact U.S. troops serving in the wider Middle East from the Horn of Africa to Afghanistan.
Both Israel and the U.S. have repeatedly said their goal is to contain Iran in the region, calling it the main reason for instability due to its support of terrorist groups.
Following Trump's announcement on Monday, Netanyahu said Israel would continue to coordinate with the U.S. in its efforts aimed at preventing Iran from establishing itself militarily in Syria.
Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria against Iranian military targets and convoys destined for Hezbollah.
