Iran Not Anti-Semitic, Wants Zionist Regime’s Elimination: Leader

“The issue of ‘the elimination of the State of Israel’ … doesn’t mean the elimination of the Jewish people; we don’t want them harmed. This means the elimination of the imposed regime and state,” the Leader said on Friday.

He made the remarks in a Friday meeting with the heads of government branches, a group of government officials, ambassadors of Islamic countries and participants in the 33rd edition of the International Conference on Islamic Unity in Tehran.

“The elimination of the Zionist regime means that the Palestinian people, be they Muslim, Christian or Jewish who are the true owners of that land, choose their own government and oust people like Netanyahu,” the Leader said.

“This is going to happen, as in the Balkans, which became independent after 60 years, and the nation returned to their country,” he noted.

“We are with the people and for the independence of Palestine; we are not anti-Semitic. The Jews live in full security in our own country, Iran,” the Leader noted.

“Our position on the case of Palestine is definitive. Early after the victory of the Revolution, the Islamic Republic gave the Zionists’ center in Tehran to the Palestinians. We helped the Palestinians, and we will continue to do so without any reservation. The entire Muslim world should follow suit.”

Ayatollah Khamenei further referred to the enemies of the Islamic unity, especially the US government and the Zionist regime, and stressed that the US is not just Iran’s enemy. 

“They are hostile to the Muslim world, to Palestine, and to the nations of West Asia and North Africa. The nature and logic of Islam is why they are hostile,” he noted, saying the nature of Islam is based on rejection of tyranny, arrogance and hegemony.

“The US and Israel are more opposed to Iran, but they’re also opposed to the Saudis. They openly say the Saudis only have money, and they should take it,” he said, referring to the approach as clear hostility.

“The Saudis must understand the duty of a dignified man facing this enemy. What’s required by the Islamic and Arab dignity and honour against such insults?”

He further referred to the US presence in the West Asia region as a source of trouble, corruption, insecurity, and a root cause of the formation of such groups as ISIS.

Ayatollah Khamenei said Muslim nations need to get familiar with Washington’s true and hypocrite face.

He also warned that the United States’ main weapon today is infiltrating into sensitive centres, causing rift among nations, creating mistrust among governments and people, and implying that surrendering to Washington is the only way to resolve the problems.

“This weapon is even more dangerous than the military and hard weapons,” he warned.

He said Islamic unity has a number of degrees: The lowest level is non-aggression between religions. The second is unity against a common enemy. And the third is solidarity in Islamic goals.

The highest level, according to the Leader, is unity in making a modern Islamic civilization, which Iran has put on top of its agenda as its ultimate goal.

“If Muslims had observed the lowest level, this suffering wouldn’t exist in the Islamic World and Palestine wouldn’t be like this,” he regretted.