Ahmadinejad to Trump: 'The contemporary US belongs to all nations'

By Rebecca Savransky - 02/26/17 08:16 AM EST
 
Ahmadinejad to Trump: 'The contemporary US belongs to all nations'
© Getty Images

Iran's former president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on Sunday sent a letter to President Trump, saying "the contemporary U.S. belongs to all nations," The Associated Press reported.

In the letter, which is more than 3,500 words, Ahmadinejad said Trump "truthfully described the U.S. political system and electoral structure as corrupt."

He called for the U.S. to implement policies that "value respect toward the diversity of nations and race," noting that 1 million people of Iranian descent live in America.

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"In other words, the contemporary U.S. belongs to all nations, including the natives of the land," he wrote.

"No one may consider themselves the owner and view others as guests or immigrants."

The letter follows Trump's order last month barring people from seven predominately Muslim countries from entering the U.S., including people from Iran.
 
A federal judge in Seattle temporarily blocked the ban earlier this month. A San Francisco-based appeals court then rejected the administration's request to lift the nationwide hold on the travel ban.
 
The Trump administration has said it plans to issue a revised order.
 
In his letter, Ahmadinejad also told Trump to value his time as president.

"Four years is a long period, but it ends quickly," he wrote.

"The opportunity needs to be valued, and all its moments need to be used in the best way."