TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran has called the appointment of the former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton to the role of National Security Adviser of the United States "a shame."

The Sunday report by the semi-official Fars news agency quotes Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the country's Supreme National Security Council, as saying for an "apparent superpower it is a matter of shame that its national security adviser receives wages from a terrorist group," referring to Bolton attending a gathering of the Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) group in 2017.

The U.S. removed MEK from its list of foreign terrorist organizations in 2012.

President Donald Trump said Thursday he would appoint Bolton to the post as his administration faces a key decision on whether to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.