Iran's Rouhani: US headed into isolation after UN meeting

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2018 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran's president said on Thursday that the U.N. Security Council meeting chaired by President Donald Trump the previous day reflected America's increasing isolation among the international community.

"Nobody backed the United States, putting America into a unique historical and political isolation," said Hassan Rouhani, speaking to reporters at Tehran's airport after returning from New York, where he addressed the U.N. General Assembly.

According to the Iranian leader, Trump achieved the opposite of what he'd hoped for — in the Security Council meeting, 14 countries either directly or indirectly backed the nuclear agreement between Iran, the United States and five other major powers.

"Very interesting, someone invites leaders to a U.N. Security Council meeting after himself having trampled on a resolution by the very same council," Rouhani said, referring to the council resolution that backed the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.

Trump pulled America out of the accord in May and has been re-imposing sanctions on Iran.

On Wednesday, Rouhani told reporters at the United Nations that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal was "a mistake" and that he believes America will "sooner or later" support the deal.

Rouhani also referred to the laughter in the General Assembly audience on Tuesday when Trump in his speech boasted of America's economy and what he described as unprecedented achievements by his administration.

The audience — which included many leaders from other countries who were listening to a translation through headphones — began to chuckle. Some broke into outright laughter.

"All in the hall laughed," Rouhani claimed. "America achieved nothing at the General Assembly."