Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was sworn in for a third seven-year term yesterday, and used his inauguration speech to blast Arab and Western nations for supporting opposition elements in the war-torn country:

There was no longer a place in the country, he said, “for those who are awaiting the end of the war from outside. It is an illusion. The political solution comes from the reconciliation inside.”

He seemed to warn nations who support the rebels that their actions would rebound on them. “Soon we will see that the Arab, regional and Western countries who backed terrorism will pay the price as well,” he said.

Assad’s inauguration comes a month after the elections – held only in portions of the country under regime control – that saw him take nearly 89 percent of the vote. State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki at Thursday’s press briefing denounced last month’s election:

QUESTION: Yes. Today President Assad gave a speech after the election, and he said that he pledged that uphold laws and freedoms in his third term. What’s your reaction?

MS. PSAKI: Well, we’ve been clear that President Assad – that Assad has no more credibility now than he did before the so-called presidential election. And while Assad and his regime include in this charade – indulge in this charade, I guess I should say – Syrians are starving and besieged in Damascus, dodging barrel bombs in Aleppo, fleeing across Syria’s borders from refuge, and enduring unspeakable abuses in regime prisons and detention facilities. And in the face of this, we will continue to help the Syrian people stand up against Bashar al-Assad and support those who fight for the right of all Syrians to choose their own future. So our concerns are no different today than they were yesterday, than they were right before this farcical election.

In his inaugural address, Assad thanked foreign powers, including Tehran, for longstanding support of the regime. Assad has for years been bolstered by Iran, which has among other things supplied Damascus with weapons, funds, and troops over the course of the Syrian conflict. Assad’s allies were on Wednesday described by The Atlantic as a group “that reads like the Axis of Evil, 2014 edition, including Iran and Hezbollah.”

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