Khamenei Criticizes 'Some Islamic Governments' for Proximity to the U.S.

The leader of the Islamic Republic referred to the United States as the 'Great Tyrant' and the 'Great Satan' and accused unnamed countries in the region of being 'executors of U.S. policies,' facilitating U.S. influence in the region and betraying the 'Islamic Ummah.' According to the state news agency IRNA, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday, May 18, also considered the 'emergence of Takfiri terrorist groups in the region and the creation of war and discord among Muslims' as part of 'imperialist policies' and called for 'unity among the Islamic Ummah.' Speaking to participants in the 33rd International Quran Competition in Iran, he emphasized that 'the honest positions and actions of the Islamic Republic of Iran are the main factors of Iran's influence among Muslims and another factor of the Islamic system's power.' Khamenei also stated that the 'most important duty of scholars, intellectuals, and elites' in Islamic countries is 'enlightenment' and 'explanatory jihad' against what he termed the 'deceptions of tyrants,' stressing that 'the Islamic Ummah must not be deceived by the promises of powers and should not fear their threats.' On Thursday, May 5, Khamenei had also accused the U.S. of 'Iranophobia' and 'Shia-phobia.' He has previously accused Western countries, including the U.S. and the UK, of creating the group known as 'Islamic State' or ISIS to counter Iran's power. Iranian officials have repeatedly accused Saudi Arabia and Turkey of supporting the so-called 'Islamic State' and have called the U.S.-led coalition against this group, which includes some regional countries, 'false.' The Islamic Republic's policies in the region, including in Syria and Yemen, have been in contrast to the policies of some regional countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia. While Tehran supports Bashar al-Assad, Saudi Arabia supports opposition groups against the Syrian government. In the Yemen war, Iran supports the Shia Houthi militants and supporters of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, while Saudi Arabia is currently bombing the positions of Houthi militants to support the government of Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi in Yemen. Meanwhile, some close associates of the leader of the Islamic Republic, including Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, have repeatedly spoken of the 'realization of Islamic civilization' and the 'formation of a global Islamic community.' In contrast, officials from some Islamic countries in the region, including Turkey, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, have expressed concerns about the expansion of Iran's influence in recent years.