Iran's Khamanei says US 'must and will leave' region

 
TEHRAN, May 17: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Saturday that the United States "must and will leave" the region, following a visit to Gulf Arab states by President Donald Trump.
"With the determination of the region's nations, America must and will leave this region," Khamenei said in a televised address, criticising what he called a failed US model aimed at keeping Gulf states dependent on US support.
The remarks from the Iranian supreme leader come a day after Trump concluded a high-profile Gulf tour aimed at strengthening alliances and securing multi-trillion dollar investments.
On his tour, Trump condemned Iran's leadership for its role in the region and threatened to cut Iran's oil exports to zero.
"Iran's leaders have focused on stealing their people's wealth to fund terror and bloodshed abroad," Trump told a Saudi investment forum on Tuesday.
Without referring to specific comments, Khamenei said some of Trump's remarks are "source of shame" and "not even worth responding to."
"The level of those comments is so low that they are a source of shame for the speaker himself and a cause for embarrassment for the American people."
He further accused Trump of lying about using American power to establish peace in war-ravaged Gaza.    �"AFP