The attacks on Tehran's parliament complex and the shrine of Ayatollah Khomeini killed 16 people and wounded more than 40 [AFP]Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said that US President Donald Trump's reaction to deadly attacks in Tehran was "repugnant".
At least 16 people were killed on Wednesday in attacks claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group, as suicide bombers and gunmen targeted the Iranian parliament and the mauoleum of Ayatollah Khomeini - leader of the 1979 revolution.
"Repugnant [White House] statement & Senate sanctions as Iranians counter terror backed by US clients.Iranian people reject such US claims of friendship," Zarif tweeted on Thursday.
He was responding to a statement released by Trump's press secretary's office, which took the opportunity of an attack to make a point that "states that sponsor terrorism risk falling victim to the evil they promote".
The White House statement, which mentioned how Iranian people were "going through such challenging times", came as the US Senate advanced legislation that would impose new sanctions on the Islamic Republic, partly for what the bill described as Iran's "support for acts of international terrorism".
What kind of "terrorism" these statements refer to remains vague.
Kicking Iranians 'while they're down'
Trump's comments also brought criticism from Iranians on social media, who recalled their government's offers of support and candlelight vigils held in Iran after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in New York.
"Iranians lit candles for you on 9/11. You kick them while they're down. Classy," tweeted Ali Ghezelbash, an Iranian business analyst.
More than 40 people were also wounded in Wednesday's attacks in Tehran, the capital.
The assault marks the first attacks claimed by ISIL, in Iran.
Trump has long accused Iran of backing "terrorism" and has threatened to tear up a 2015 nuclear deal between the Iranian government and major western powers.
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