Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims the U.S. military's strike on Syria would have happened regardless of who the president was, and says Donald Trump is simply carrying out the wishes of the real people in power.
Ahmadinejad, who recently made waves for registering to run for president of Iran for a third time, told the AP the reason Hillary Clinton is not America's president is because she would not have been able to put up an convincing enough front. He suggested the U.S. presidency is decided behind closed doors.
"Those who are the directors must give the role (of president) to a person who can pull it off best," said Ahmadinejad. "A woman cannot put up a good war face. A man can do that better. They need to come up with a figure and say he is very dangerous."
These sexist remarks were followed by subsequent shots at President Trump's authority. Ahmadinejad believes a man with Trump's wealth and assets has no incentive to create danger on the world stage.
"If he were dangerous, he would not have $70 billion of assets," said Ahmadinejad. "However he has no choice but to play such a role."
Since taking office in January, Trump has targeted Iran with both his speech and policy. After Iran conducted ballistic missile tests—an act which they claim does not violate the 2015 nuclear deal—Trump took to Twitter to voice his displeasure:
The Trump administration followed up its tough talk with sanctions in an effort to undercut Iran's economy. But Ahmadinejad says he's not fazed by Trump or the United States in general, and asserts America's foreign policy decisions in other countries will not intimidate the people of Iran.
"I do not think it has a message for Iran," said Ahmadinejad of the U.S. "Iran is a powerful country and people like Mr. Trump or the United States administration cannot hurt Iran."
