Khamenei's Request to 'Islamic Governments' to Block 'Oil and Food Exports' to Israel

Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, rejected the Islamic Republic's interference in pro-Palestinian gatherings in some countries. On Wednesday, Khamenei urged 'Islamic governments' not to engage in 'economic cooperation' with Israel and called for 'the entire Islamic world' to mobilize against Israel to block 'the export of oil and food' to the country. Khamenei supported Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians, including children, women, and the elderly, claiming that this militia group, supported by the Islamic Republic, 'destroyed years of efforts' by Israel and its 'supporters' in 'a few hours.' Previously, Senator Ben Cardin, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, stated to CNN regarding the 'operational role' of the Islamic Republic in Hamas's operations against Israel: 'We know that the Islamic Republic has provided long-term support to Hamas to carry out terrorist operations, so it is clear that the Iranian regime bears responsibility for Hamas's attacks.' This Democratic senator emphasized, 'We are examining the role of the Islamic Republic in these operations,' and noted, 'In the normalization agreement and the Abraham Accords, we have cooperated to strengthen Israel in the region and to calm the situation, and we must ensure that this unprecedented and brazen attack does not halt normalization talks because we do not want terrorists to win.' Khamenei accused 'America, France, and England' of 'confronting' Palestinians 'in the decisive issue of Gaza' and, rejecting the Islamic Republic's involvement in pro-Palestinian gatherings in several countries, said: 'They say the gathering of people in England is Iran's doing. Surely the London and Paris mobilizations did this.' Khamenei's remarks came after British police warned about the interference of Iranian government agents to escalate tensions in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The Times had previously reported that the Islamic Republic was seeking to expand gatherings and create unrest in the UK. Khamenei also called for an 'immediate halt' to the bombing of Gaza and criticized the labeling of Palestinian militants as 'terrorists' by 'Western politicians and media' following the October 7 attack on Israeli territory, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,400 individuals, most of whom were civilians. U.S. President Joe Biden stated on Monday that any discussion of a ceasefire in Gaza is only possible if Hamas releases all hostages taken during the October 7 attack. According to The Hill, Biden responded to the question of whether he supports a 'hostage release for a ceasefire' agreement, saying: 'We need to get those hostages released, and then we can talk.' Despite the support of the Islamic Republic's leader and other government officials for Palestinian groups and the criminalization of any action in support of or approval of Israel in Iran, in recent days, in addition to significant Iranian support for Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from militia groups supported by the Islamic Republic, protests and demonstrations have also chanted 'Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life is for Iran.' Sociologist Jalal Ijadi told Voice of America that when the people of Iran chant this slogan, they are rejecting the idea of the 'Palestinian cause.'