1.2246857-887736712
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani attends a news conference at the Chancellery in Vienna, Austria July 4, 2018. Image Credit: Reuters

Dubai: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday nobody should threaten his nation, responding to a tweet from U.S. President Donald Trump in which he threatened to strike 52 sites in Iran.

"Those who refer to the number 52 should also remember the number 290. #IR655," Rouhani tweeted, referring to the 1988 shooting down of an Iranian airline by a U.S. warship in which 290 were killed. "Never threaten the Iranian nation."

Also Iran's foreign minister has challenged President Donald Trump in a tweet, sharing photos from the massive crowds in Tehran mourning an Iranian commander killed by a recent U.S. drone

Mohammad Javad Zarif asks: "Have you EVER seen such a sea of humanity in your life, @realdonaldtrump?''

He urged Trump to distance himself from his advisers who seek confrontation with Iran: "Do you still want to listen to the clowns advising you on our region? And do you still imagine you can break the will of this great nation?"

Sunday's tweet also reiterated Iran's stance that the U.S. military should be expelled from the Middle East.

The huge processions for the slain Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani mark the first time Iran has honored a single man with a multi-city ceremony. He will be buried in his hometown of Kerman on Tuesday.