This appeared to be a way to blame Israel for recent terror attacks in Europe. “The last manifestation of their enmity was the Paris incident.
By SETH J. FRANTZMANIran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, July 2020(photo credit: KHAMENEI.IR)
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei slammed the US and Israel on Tuesday, saying Zionism is a “main enemy of Islam,” and other “arrogant powers” are enemies of Islam.In an apparent attempt to blame Israel for recent terrorist attacks in Europe, he said: “The last manifestation of their enmity was the Paris incident. It is not just about one caricaturist committing a wrongdoing. Arrogant powers and Zionism support this. That’s why they speak in defense of such acts.”Khamenei said there were “insults to the prophet,” without specifying what they were.Echoing Turkey’s incitement against France and the hostile atmosphere that led to several recent terrorist attacks, he said: “The Islamic nation is filled with rage and objections. From the east to the west of the Islamic world, many Muslim officials and people have defended the Islamic identity and the prophet’s noble personage, which shows the Muslim communities’ vitality.”This appeared to mean that while he blamed Israel for attacks in Europe, he also seemed to support those attacks in the name of “rage.”Regarding the US elections, Khamenei said: “No matter who wins the US elections, it won’t affect our policy toward the US. Some people talk about what will happen if this or that one is elected. Yes, certain events may happen, but they don’t concern us. Our policy is calculated and clear. The US regime suffers from severe political, civil and moral deviations. This is what their own analysts say. Such a regime won’t last long.”Iran believes the US is declining and that it has defeated the Trump administration.“If certain people hold office, they speed up its destruction, while with others it may take a little longer,” he said.This appeared to be a way of hinting that Trump might speed up the destruction of the US.Not sufficed to have attacked Israel and the US, the Iranian theocrat then launched into a tirade against France. France backed Saddam Hussein in the 1980s against Iran, and it has backed “savage terrorists” who killed 17,000 Iranians, he said.
Khamenei then bashed Israel some more and also Arab states that have relations with it.“Even though some governments started a treacherous, contemptible move toward normalizing relations with the Zionists, they’re too small to end the matter of Palestine,” he said. “No! Palestine will be free, while the fake Zionist regime will perish. There’s no doubt about this.”Iran has vowed to destroy Israel for years. Iran and Turkey both back Hamas. It increasingly appears that the messaging from Tehran and Ankara are linked by issues such as claiming to defend Islam and also bashing Israel and France.Iran’s last pronouncement was that the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia must end immediately. It has sent military equipment to the border.Iran supports Azerbaijan, Khamenei said.“Azerbaijani land seized by Armenia should be freed, and the safety of its Armenian residents must be secured,” he said.Apparently referring to Syrian extremists sent by Turkey to fight alongside Azerbaijani forces, Khamenei said: “If terrorists approach the Iranian border, they’ll be dealt with severely.”
