Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani, a former top Iranian cleric, speaks with Ohad Hemo of Israel's Channel 12 from Tehran, January 25, 2021. (Screenshot/ Channel 12)
A former senior Iranian cleric and current opposition figure speaks for the first time with Israeli media from Tehran, urging an end to hostilities between the countries.
Iranian cleric Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani speaks from Tehran with Ohad Hemo of Israel’s Channel 12 on January 25, 2021 (Channel 12 screenshot)
Speaking with Channel 12 news, Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani — who had the honor of the title revoked by Tehran due to disagreements with the regime — says he has “no problem” with the Jewish state.
“Iranians and Jews have many years of friendship,” he says. “I haven’t met Iranians who don’t have a positive opinion of Israel.”
He says he will come to Israel if his health allows it, adding that his longtime wish has been to go to Jerusalem and “pray at the Western Wall.”
Tehrani says he has been saying since the 1980s that Khamenei will “ruin” the country.
He says the Islamic Republic is a dictatorship that stifles dissenting opinions and freedom of speech. However, he said the Islamic Republic’s frequent talks about their intention to destroy Israel are not serious: “Don’t forget, these slogans were also said by [late former Iraqi leader] Saddam Hussein, and we know where he is today.”
“With God’s help, if I stay alive, I would love to meet you and witness the end of the illogical hostility between the Iranian and Israeli people,” he concludes.
Ayatollah Abdol-Hamid Masoumi-Tehrani (R), a former top Iranian cleric, speaks with Israel’s Channel 12 from Tehran, January 25, 2021. (Screenshot/Channel 12)
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Monday, January 25, 2021
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
