Iran says US hit by 'hysteria' since dropping nuclear deal

Iran on Friday said the United States is suffering from "hysteria" over its inability to find alternatives to the landmark nuclear deal it walked away from last year.

Washington "pulled out of a comprehensive and legitimate agreement achieved through negotiation, and is now afflicted with chronic hysteria as it can't find an alternative to it", foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said on his Telegram channel.

The US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear accord negotiated with Iran in May last year and reimposed punishing economic sanctions on the country.

The charge was Tehran's first reaction to anti-Iran remarks made Thursday by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Cairo while on a whistle-stop tour of the region.

Speaking at the American University, the top US diplomat said Washington was creating an anti-Iran front -- the Middle East Strategic Alliance -- bringing together Gulf countries as well as Egypt and Jordan.

"It's time for old rivalries to end, for the sake of the greater good of the region," Pompeo said.

Ghasemi called Pompeo's proposed plan "a path with no benefit for America" and said that it proves the current US administration is the enemy of Iran and its people.

Pompeo's tour is aimed at reassuring US allies after President Donald Trump's shock decision to withdraw all 2,000 American troops from Syria.