Khamenei vows to ‘slap’ US, dismisses impact of sanctions

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s supreme leader says the Islamic Republic will “slap” the United States by defeating new American sanctions targeting the nation.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei makes the comments in a speech in Tehran before thousands of members of the Basij, an all-volunteer force under the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Khamenei says he heard US President Donald Trump tell European leaders that the Islamic Republic would collapse in the coming months over American sanctions, something he dismisses. The sanctions have hurt Iran’s already ailing economy and have fueled the depreciation of its rial currency.

Khamenei also warns that media controlled by foreign enemies could be as dangerous as “chemical weapons.”

Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the IRGC’s expeditionary Quds Force, attends the speech with the head of the IRGC, Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari.

— AP

In this picture released by official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to thousands of members of the Basij, an all-volunteer force under the paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, in their gathering at the Azadi (Freedom) stadium in Tehran, Iran, on October 4, 2018. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)