On Monday, John McCain referred to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a "monkey" on social media. The U.S. senator from Arizona, who has more than 1.7 million followers on Twitter, posted on his account early Monday morning:
So Ahmadinejad wants to be first Iranian in space - wasn't he just there last week? "Iran launches monkey into space".
When Republican congressman Justin Amash called the remarks "racist," McCain posted a follow-up Tweet saying the comments were just a joke.
Re: Iran space tweet - lighten up folks, can't everyone take a joke?
Last month, Iran caused controversy with pet advocates when the rogue state launched a missile containing a monkey into space. The missile test was viewed by NATO as a provocative action since the regime seems intent to develop capabilities of launching intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
McCain, a former GOP presidential candidate, is one of the most senior and respected members of the U.S. senate. A former prisoner of war who endured torture in Vietnam, he is considered an expert on military affairs and foreign relations.
Aside from lighthearted jokes, the senator's comments seem to express frustration at Iran's insistence on building nuclear weapons. The initiative will likely lead to military conflict with Israel and its allies within the next two years. Ahmadinejad has also remained steadfast in his commitment to cast Israel as an enemy state in the Middle East.
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