TEHRAN: Iran’s president-elect Hassan Rouhani has called Israel an old “wound” that must be removed, Iranian media reported.
“The Zionist regime is a wound inflicted for years on the body of the Muslim world that must be cleansed,” Rouhani told reporters attending annual Quds Day rallies.
Rouhani will formally assume the presidency of Iran this weekend after winning elections held in June by a landslide.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately criticised Rouhani’s comments, saying they revealed the Iran government’s real thinking.
“The true face of Rouhani has been revealed earlier than expected,” he said in a statement.
“Even if the Iranians work to deny these comments, this is what the man thinks and reflects the regime’s plans,” he said.
