12:28 GMT +321 September 2019
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    Trump Allegedly Refuses to Spend More Dollars on Security of Gulf States

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    The US president has already expressed his opinion that American allies in the Middle East should more actively participate in regional matters and rely less on the US, which has already poured vast amounts of money into the region.

    Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has posted a tweet claiming that US President Donald Trump had allegedly sent a letter to Persian Gulf states blaming them for their lack of action in the region amid enormous American spending in the Middle East. The ayatollah didn't specify how the content of the letter wound up in Iran's hands, but several Western sources cited by the New York Times and Washington Post confirmed that the US President had sent a letter to certain Arab leaders.

    Khamenei revealed additional details taken from the alleged letter to the US' Middle Eastern allies during his speech at Farhangian University on May 9.

    "In the letter, he says I have spent $7 trillion on you, you have to do [what I say]. You spent this money to rule over Iraq and Syria. You couldn't. To hell with it," the ayatollah quoted the letter as saying.

    The White House has not commented on the authenticity of the letter, with the National Security Council also declining to do so, the Washington Post reported. The New York Times reported, citing anonymous sources familiar with the letter, that Trump actually sent it a couple of weeks ago and has since sent another, further confirming his stance that Gulf states should take on more of the burden in the region, including exercising pressure on Iran, constraining its influence there.

    READ MORE: Rouhani: US Sets Eyes on Arabian Black Gold Reserves, Bank Accounts

    Twitter users had various reactions to the ayatollah's tweet, with many doubting Trump's right to dictate to Arab states just because the US has spent so much money in the region, while others skeptical about the contents and the authenticity of the letter.

    The alleged letter sounds in tune with Trump's previous statements, where he has claimed that the US has already spent too much money in the Middle East and should let other countries participate in the processes in the region. He also noted that wealthy Arab states "wouldn't last a week" without US help and that they must "pay for what is happening."


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