Iran president says US ''leader of world terrorism''
Tehran: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday that the United States was the real "leader of world terrorism" after Washington blacklisted Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a "foreign terrorist organisation".
"Who are you to label revolutionary institutions as terrorists?" Rouhani asked in a speech broadcast live by state television.
Speaking at a ceremony to mark Iran's national nuclear technology day in Tehran, Rouhani defended the Revolutionary Guards as a force that has fought terrorism ever since its creation in 1979.
In contrast, the Islamic republic's president accused US forces of having always been directly or indirectly involved with terrorist groups or acts of terrorism.
"You want to use terrorist groups as tools against the nations of the region... you are the leader of world terrorism.
"Who is propagating and encouraging terrorism in today's world? Who wanted to use ISIS (the Islamic State group) as a tool?" Rouhani asked, saying that the US is harbouring the leaders of the jihadist organisation.
"Even now America is hiding the heads of ISIS, even now they are not prepared to tell the regional governments where the heads of ISIS are hiding." Iran swiftly retaliated against the US move on Monday by calling US troops "terrorists".
It is the first time that Washington has branded part of a foreign government a terrorist group, meaning that anyone who deals with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could face prison in the United States.
To support his accusations, Rouhani cited the downing of Iran Air Flight 655 in July 1988 by missiles fired from the US naval ship the USS Vincennes.
"You have done everything imaginable. Which force was it that shot down our civil airliner in the waters of the Persian Gulf?" he said, adding that it was aimed at intimidating Iran.
"You wanted to tell the Iranian nation that we do not have any red lines, you wanted to say that we also kill children, you wanted to say that we also kill women," Rouhani said, concluding that the US was transmitting "a message of terrorism in the whole world."
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'With or without Budget, we are doing our work': Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said that he does not need announcements to be made in the State Budget to carry out developmental works.
He said this highlighting the developmental works in his native district of Bengaluru South.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, is scheduled to present the 2026-27 Budget on March 6. This would be Siddaramaiah's record 17th budget.
"No need to have expectations from the Budget. With or without the Budget, we are doing our work," Shivakumar said in response to a question on what can be expected from the Budget.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "Others need the Budget. We don't. It's not that we need to take up work only if it is announced in the Budget."
Citing the example of flagship Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) in Bengaluru South district, Shivakumar said, "You get a survey done across the country. Bengaluru South district has 25 government schools, each one costing Rs 15 crore. We have ensured it. Has anyone else done it? Was this in the Budget? We created it, it is our concept. Now there is a state level policy for 2,000 such schools."
Further pointing out that during the JD(S)-Congress coalition government under H D Kumaraswamy's Chief Ministership in 2018-19, he had ensured a medical college was announced for the then Ramanagara (now Bengaluru South) district, he said, "But the next BJP government under B S Yediyurappa cancelled it and took the medical college to Chikballapura district. Now, we have given medical colleges to both Ramanagara and Kanakapura (taluks in the Bengaluru South district)."
He also highlighted private medical colleges are coming up in Channapatna taluk and one between Ramanagara and Kanakapura taluks.
