TEHRAN: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani was still celebrating his resounding re-election victory on Saturday when he came under pressure from the country's long-standing foe the United States.
Rouhani, a 68-year-old moderate cleric who spearheaded a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, said Iranians had chosen the "path of engagement" and rejected extremism after he took 57 percent of the vote against 38 percent for hardline cleric Ebrahim Raisi.
"The Iranian people want to live in peace and friendship with the rest of the world, but will not accept any threat or humiliation," Rouhani said on state television.
But he faces a stark challenge from US President Donald Trump, who is currently visiting Iran's bitter regional rival Saudi Arabia, and has threatened to tear up the nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said a $110-billion arms deal with the Saudis was aimed at helping the kingdom deal with "malign Iranian influence", and called on Rouhani to dismantle Tehran's "network of terrorism" and end ballistic missile testing.
The arms package "supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the entire Gulf region", Tillerson told reporters in Riyadh.
Rouhani made an apparent dig at Saudi Arabia, saying Iran had demonstrated to its neighbours that "the path to ensuring security is the reinforcement of democracy, not relying on foreign powers".
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