Khamenei: We Will Assist Wherever There is a Need to Counter Infidelity and Imperialism

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced that "the Islamic Republic of Iran will assist wherever there is a need to counter infidelity and imperialism." According to the official website of the Supreme Leader's office, he stated that he does not take into account the considerations of anyone in expressing this matter, adding that the Islamic Republic of Iran stands against the "conspiracy of the imperialist front and Zionism to create war and conflict among Muslims" and will continue to do so, emerging victorious in this struggle. Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) group in Iraq and Syria in this context. Earlier, Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported to the Supreme Leader in a letter on November 21 that the "domination of ISIS" had ended with the lowering of the group's flag in the city of Abu Kamal. Abu Kamal, located in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, was one of the last strongholds of the Islamic State in the region that has recently been taken out of the group's control. In the battle for Abu Kamal, five Iranians, including two senior members of the Quds Force, were killed. Following this, Ayatollah Khamenei, in remarks to a number of Basij members on Wednesday, December 1, considered the recent blows to the Islamic State (ISIS) as a sign of "bringing America to its knees" and proving the concept of "we can." In his remarks on Thursday, the Supreme Leader warned that "we must not be oblivious to the cunning and deceit of the enemies because America and Zionism and their followers will not cease their enmity towards Islam and may design and execute a conspiracy similar to ISIS in another region." Iranian officials have repeatedly accused the United States, Britain, and Saudi Arabia of creating and supporting the Islamic State (ISIS). This claim comes despite the fact that the group has faced heavy bombing from U.S.-led coalition forces in Syria and Iraq for a long time, and U.S.-backed armed forces recently managed to seize Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, and push its forces back in large areas of northern and eastern Syria. The U.S.-led coalition forces also played a role in helping Iraqi forces retake the city of Mosul from the Islamic State (ISIS). Meanwhile, several Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have consistently criticized Iran's interventions in regional countries, including Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. In response, Tehran has accused these countries of interfering in regional affairs. According to the official website of the Supreme Leader's office, Ayatollah Khamenei described the issue of Palestine as the primary issue of the Islamic world, stating: "The key to overcoming the enemies of Islam is the issue of Palestine, as the front of infidelity and imperialism and Zionism has turned the occupied Islamic country of Palestine into a base for creating disruption in the security of regional countries, and we must confront the cancerous tumor of Israel." Since the victory of the February 1979 revolution, Iranian officials have repeatedly referred to Israel as a "cancerous tumor." In contrast, the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union have strongly condemned the severe verbal attacks of Iranian leaders against the existence of the state of Israel. In another part of his remarks, the Supreme Leader said: "The day Palestine returns to the Palestinian people will deal a real blow to the back of imperialism, and we will strive for that day." Israel, the United States, and several countries around the world have always accused Tehran of supporting groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which they label as terrorists. In contrast, the Islamic Republic of Iran describes them as Islamic liberation movements. In this context, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated in a statement on July 24 of this year that it "as one of the main and strategic supporters of the Palestinian Intifada, praises the will of all the fighters on the path to Jerusalem and will not spare any effort in supporting them."