"The fight against this wretched regime is the fight against oppression and the fight against terrorism. And this is a public duty to fight against this regime," Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech.
LIVE: Iran’s Leader delivers speech on occasion of Intl. #QudsDay https://t.co/eW42ycfDm2
— Press TV (@PressTV) May 7, 2021
Khamenei was speaking on Iran's annual Quds Day, which uses the Arabic name for Jerusalem, held on the last Friday of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
Since day 1, Zionists turned occupied Palestine into a base for terrorism. Israel isn’t a country; it’s a #TerroristCamp against Palestinians & other Muslim nations. Fighting this despotic regime is fighting against oppression & terrorism. And this is everyone’s responsibility.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) May 7, 2021
Opposition to Israel is a touchstone of belief for Shi’ite-led Iran, which backs Palestinian and Lebanese Islamic militant groups opposed to peace with the Jewish state, which Tehran does not recognize.
"Muslim nations' cooperation on Quds (Jerusalem) is a nightmare for the Zionists," Khamenei said.
Iranian officials have called for an end to Israel, including by a referendum that would exclude most of its Jews while including Palestinians in the region and abroad.
The coronavirus pandemic forced the government to cancel its annual Quds Day parade. But Iranian state media showed footage of motorcyclists and vehicles flying Palestinian and Lebanese Hezbollah flags driving through Tehran streets.
They also published pictures of people burning Israeli and American flags.