Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calls in a speech for anti-Israel activists in the United States and Europe to step up protests against the renewed Israeli military campaign in Gaza “to strongly oppose this treacherous, horrendous act.”
“Once again children are being killed, homes are being destroyed, and civilians are being displaced. The people must stop this tragedy,” Khamenei says in a Nowruz address, according to an English transcript posted on his website.
He adds that recent deadly US strikes on the Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen are a “crime that must be stopped.”
The Iranian leader praises the country for sending aid to Lebanon, but makes only passing reference to Israeli actions that decapitated the Hezbollah terror group, an Iranian proxy.
“Various events took place in Tehran and later in Lebanon, resulting in the loss of valuable figures for both the Iranian nation and the Islamic [world],” he says. “These were indeed bitter tragedies.”
Much of the speech is focused on economic issues, with Khamenei saying the country needs to ramp up production and suggesting it could nationalize some industries.
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