Iran's Larijani lashes out at Washington

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TEHRAN, May 22 (UPI) -- All options are on the table for dealing with the United States, the Iranian speaker of Parliament said.

"Do not think that with verbal tactics, you (U.S. officials) will make the Islamic Republic negligent," said Ali Larijani. "We are constantly monitoring your behavior, and all scenarios (to deal with you) are on the table."

Larijani blasted U.S. claims that Iran was behind regional terrorism, saying Washington and its allies were linked to the creation of terrorist groups, Iran's Press TV reports.

"We do not create terrorism. We are completely against it," he said. "The U.S. knows very well how the real terrorists came to being."

Press TV reports Larijani was referencing testimony from the alleged emir of the al-Qaida-linked Islamic State of Iraq, Omar al-Baghdadi, who said he received financial support from U.S. allies Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Larijani went on to cite the late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who blamed Washington and its allies for the creation of the Taliban. Her husband, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, echoed those claims in an interview with NBC News recently.

"This shows the U.S. double standards in facing terrorism," said Larijani. "That's why Washington has come to a dead end on the region's security issues."