Ahmad Khatami: Attack Israel; We Will Increase Our Missile Range

Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, called for a renewed intifada (uprising) of the Palestinians during his sermon on December 7, urging to 'attack' Israel and adding that 'as much as you can, inflict damage on this regime.' He also mentioned that 'we will increase our missile range as much as we can,' conditionally threatening Israel with missile attacks. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6, despite regional opposition. According to Fars News Agency, Ahmad Khatami stated that 'Trump has drawn a red line over all negotiations in the past seventy years and has shown that the only remedy for the Palestinian issue is the intifada; it is these uprisings that will turn the day of the Zionist regime into a dark night; attack this occupying regime; every damage you inflict on this criminal and occupying regime is a step taken for God.' He announced that the Islamic Republic will increase its missile range to take away the 'peace of mind' from American officials and to 'destroy' cities in Israel if it takes military action against Iran. Ahmad Khatami added: 'We will increase our missile range to take sleep away from the eyes of those in the White House, and we will do so.' He also emphasized that the Islamic Republic will enhance its missile power so that if Israel makes a 'mistake,' we can level Tel Aviv and Haifa to the ground. Iranian officials have previously threatened Israel with missile attacks. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has repeatedly shown images of missile tests with the slogan 'Israel must be wiped off the map' inscribed in Hebrew. Meanwhile, Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran is violating the spirit of the nuclear agreement with actions such as missile tests and endangering stability in the Middle East and the world. In his latest quarterly report to Congress, he refrained from certifying Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement. Earlier, Germany and France had also stated that they would continue to support the nuclear agreement with Iran but at the same time demanded that Iran abandon its ballistic missile development program and 'hegemonic motivations' in the Middle East. France has raised more criticisms, with President Emmanuel Macron stating that 'there is a possibility of sanctions against Tehran's missile program' and 'negotiations with Iran regarding its missile program are necessary.' In response to these remarks, Hossein Salami, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards, threatened on November 25 that if Europeans want to 'interfere with our missiles,' the Islamic Republic might increase its missile range to Europe. Resolution 2231 of the Security Council, which endorsed the nuclear agreement between Iran and six world powers, called on Iran to refrain from developing ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Iran claims its missile program has a 'defensive aspect' and is not intended for carrying nuclear warheads as Tehran does not seek to develop such weapons. The Friday prayer leaders of Tehran and other cities in Iran also criticized Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Meanwhile, several Friday prayer leaders, including Hashim Hosseini Bushehri, the Friday prayer leader of Qom, stated that 'the President of the United States has ignited a fire that will burn both the United States and Israel in its first step.' Following Friday prayers in Tehran and other cities in Iran, protests were held against this decision, with participants chanting slogans against the United States and Israel and burning flags of these countries. In protest of this decision, clashes occurred between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers on Thursday, and various Palestinian groups designated Friday as 'Day of Rage' and called for demonstrations on that day. Reports indicate that over 30 Palestinians were injured during the clashes on Thursday in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. According to the Israeli army, after rockets were fired towards Israel, two targets in the Gaza Strip were shelled. Additionally, several Islamic countries, including Iraq, Jordan, Tunisia, and Pakistan, as well as countries in the Far East, witnessed protests against the new decision of the U.S. President on Thursday.