Khamenei Expresses Concern Over Comments by American Senator

Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, reacted on Monday, July 5, during an Eid al-Fitr meeting with some domestic officials and a group of ambassadors from Islamic countries, to the remarks of an American senator. According to Tasnim News Agency, Ayatollah Khamenei stated, "The support of an American senator for the Sunni community against the Shia community, while they are enemies of Islam and Islamic countries, is nothing but a conspiracy and malice, and this issue deserves serious vigilance and concern; unfortunately, officials of Islamic governments neglect these hostilities." Khamenei's remarks come at a time when many Islamic countries, including Iraq, have close relations with the U.S., and American forces are assisting the Iraqi army in liberating areas occupied by the Islamic State group. U.S. President Donald Trump recently emphasized to leaders of Islamic countries that the battle against terrorism is "a struggle between good and evil" and not a clash between Islam and the West, urging Islamic leaders to confront the "crisis of Islamic extremism" that has emerged from the Middle East. Khamenei did not specify which American senator he was referring to. Meanwhile, two days prior to Khamenei's remarks, Politico reported comments from Tom Cotton, a Republican senator from Arkansas who regularly communicates with the White House regarding foreign policy. According to Politico, Cotton called for increased pressure on Tehran, stating that Iran has various ethnic minority groups, including Arabs, Turkmen, and Baluchis, who, according to him, "are eager to live under a Persian Shia dictatorship." Dana Rohrabacher, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, also stated, "Hezbollah and Shia are a threat to us, and isn't it a good thing that the U.S. is finally supporting Sunnis who are attacking Hezbollah and Shia?" Rohrabacher, speaking at a congressional session regarding Hezbollah's activities in Lebanon, suggested that it might be a "strategy" for the U.S. to "use one terrorist group against another terrorist group." He made these comments in reference to recent ISIS attacks on the Iranian parliament and the tomb of the founder of the Islamic Republic. His remarks came as Trump expressed condolences to the victims of "terrorist attacks" in Tehran, and the U.S. State Department condemned these attacks, offering condolences to the victims' families and the people of Iran. Rohrabacher's comments faced objections from experts at the congressional session, with one emphasizing that the attacks in Tehran were carried out by a group known as the Islamic State and that we should condemn it like any other terrorist attack and never support it. Khamenei also stated regarding the struggle against Israel: "It is necessary and obligatory for all of the Islamic world." According to Tasnim News Agency, he criticized what he called "the refusal of some Islamic countries to engage in this struggle," stating that "Muslim nations often empathize with each other, and it is these governments that must fulfill their duties." Khamenei deemed the "diminishing and forgetting the Palestinian issue" a "great danger" and added in his criticism of "some Islamic countries" that "Palestine is the first issue of the Islamic world, but some Islamic countries act in such a way that the Palestinian issue is ignored and forgotten." Three days prior to these remarks, Yahya Rahim Safavi, a military advisor to Khamenei, announced the readiness of Hezbollah's missiles to strike Israel, stating, "Hezbollah forces have become a powerful force to confront Israel." Gary Korn, the Israeli ambassador to Russia, also threatened that in the event of a real threat, Israel is prepared to conduct military operations against Hezbollah and other Iran-backed groups in Syrian territory. Khamenei has consistently expressed hostility towards the Israeli government and recently stated regarding Israel, "You will not see the next 25 years, and God willing, there will be no Zionist regime in 25 years." In the past, the United Nations, the European Union, and countries including the U.S. and France have strongly condemned the severe verbal attacks of Iranian leaders against the existence of the Israeli state. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, warned Iran on Monday, June 19, not to threaten that country. Khamenei's emphasis on the "obligation" of Islamic countries to fight against Israel comes at a time when among the major countries in the region, Turkey has recently moved towards normalizing relations with Tel Aviv, and there have also been recent reports of "contacts between Israel and Saudi Arabia" to establish economic relations.