Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says the United States is confronting Iran because it wants the nation to be obedient, but the Iranian people will firmly resist this “great insult.”
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks as he received officials and thousands of people from various sectors in Tehran on Sunday, on the occasion of the martyrdom anniversary of the eighth Shia Imam, Imam Reza (PBUH).
“The US wants Iran to be obedient to it. The Iranian nation is deeply offended by such a great insult and will stand with all its strength against those who harbor such a false expectation of the Iranian people,” he said.
Those who advocate for direct negotiations with Washington to resolve issues are shallow-minded, the Leader added.
He noted that the US’s hostility toward Iran is not a recent phenomenon, as various American administrations have maintained a consistent stance of enmity, sanctions, and threats against the Islamic Republic and the Iranian people ever since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
Previously, the reasons for this hostility were often obscured under various pretexts, such as terrorism, human rights, women's issues, and democracy, Ayatollah Khamenei said. However, he added, the current US administration has clarified its true objective as it stated that the opposition to Iran stems from a desire for the nation to be obedient to US demands.
Ayatollah Khamenei urged all people, officials, and intellectuals to wholeheartedly preserve and strengthen the iron shield of the current great national unity. He also said that all people and groups should support the hardworking President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The Leader also highlighted that Iran's enemies have realized through the steadfastness and powerful unity of the nation, officials, and Armed Forces that the Iranian people and the Islamic system cannot be subdued or commanded through war.
He warned that adversaries are now pursuing their goal by seeking to create divisions within Iran.
