Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Jan. 08 The United States has been defeated in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Palestine, and even in the minds of American politicians, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, on the occasion of a revered Shiite Muslim holy day. Iran Focus
Tehran, Iran, Jan. 08 The United States has been defeated in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Palestine, and even in the minds of American politicians, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, on the occasion of a revered Shiite Muslim holy day. His speech was aired in part on state television with a voiceover.
“Considering these setbacks, the arrogant powers, in particular the U.S., are stirring divisions among Shiites and Sunnis to counter the ever-increasing wave of Islamic awakening which is being spearheaded by the Islamic Republic in Iran”, Khamenei said.
“The heads of states and politicians of Islamic countries, especially countries of the region, should know that the glory of Islam and the strength of the Islamic Republic of Iran are a source of confidence and strength for them”, he said.
He added that the U.S. was “bullying” Islamic countries because they were weak and urged them to form an alliance with Iran. “The U.S. is always giving concessions to the usurper Zionist regime (Israel) and in return gets concessions from certain Arab governments. Therefore, if those governments rely on a great power they will never need to give concessions”.
He warned Arab states not to form an alliance with the U.S. and Britain against the Islamic Republic, adding that Tehran’s enemies would fail in their “plots”.
“If certain Arab and Islamic governments imagine that by uniting with the United States and Britain and imposing sanctions they can win the satisfaction of the Zionist regime and sooth this usurper regime’s concerns, they are making a political error”, Khamenei said.
U.S.-led forces carried out naval war-games in the Persian Gulf in October in what analysts have said are meant to serve as a warning to Tehran.
Twenty five nations, including Britain, France, Italy, and Bahrain, took part in the naval exercises as part of the U.S. Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). The goal of the exercises was to practice blocking transports of weapons of mass destruction.
