Tehran Friday Prayer Leader: Trump Should Fulfill His Promise to Fight Terrorism but Not Misidentify It

The interim Friday prayer leader of Tehran, Mohammad Ali Mohammadi Kermani, urged Donald Trump, the new President of the United States, to fulfill his promises including what he described as 'fighting terrorism,' 'non-interference in the affairs of countries,' and 'reviving his country.' He emphasized that Trump should not misidentify who constitutes terrorism, stating that those defending their country should not be labeled as terrorists. In his sermon on January 27, he addressed Trump, saying, 'You have entered the White House with the slogan of serving America and reviving your country, repairing the damage left by previous administrations, and saving the American people from poverty and hunger, while also pledging not to interfere in the affairs of other countries and to fight terrorism.' He added that fulfilling these promises is also part of Islam. Kermani criticized previous U.S. presidents for supporting warmongers and urged Trump to change the culture of supporting oppressors to one of serving the American people. He acknowledged that changing the previous administration's imperialistic and bullying nature is not easy but can be achieved with effort. His remarks came after Iranian Judiciary Chief Sadeq Larijani stated that some of Trump's comments have a racist tone and his remarks about 'Islamic terrorism' reflect a form of Islamophobia. On the same day, Bahram Qasemi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, mentioned that it is still too early to accurately assess the new U.S. president's positions. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also stated in his first speech after the U.S. presidential election that 'America is still America, and the election results do not matter to us.' He previously made comments about the U.S. presidential debates that were interpreted as a preference for Trump's victory. Khamenei noted that Trump gained more attention because he 'exposed' America more clearly, while his opponent was labeled as populist. During his campaign, Trump called the Iran nuclear deal the worst agreement possible and promised to review it if elected. The review of the JCPOA or stricter oversight of it has been emphasized by some officials in Trump's administration. In this context, the proposal for 'non-nuclear sanctions against Iran' has once again been put forward in the U.S. Senate.