Normalizing ties with ‘Zionists’ is against Quran, Iranian supreme leader says

Normalizing relations with Israel breaks with the Koran and Islamic faith, Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday.

The Iranian regime is avowedly committed to Israel’s destruction, and trains and arms terror groups in Lebanon and Gaza with that declared goal. Israel says it is seeking a nuclear weapons arsenal in order to annihilate the Jewish state.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of a Quran competition in Tehran, Khamenei blasted “certain Islamic nations” that are not, according to him, adhering to Muslim principles.

“They have become servants and followers of America and the Zionists,” he said, according to state-run news outlets. Some were “colluding with Israelis to shed the blood of Palestinians and violate their rights.”

“The Quran is the book of prosperity and bliss in this world and the hereafter, provided that we act based on its principles,” Khamenei said.

“The Quran says, ‘Be stern with the disbelievers.’ Some Muslims forget that, like those Muslim countries that compromise with the US and the Zionists… today, the officials of many Muslim states represent examples of that,” he added.

Khamenei’s comments come as Israel has seen increased behind-the-scenes cooperation with some Arab countries, particularly in tackling their shared enemy, Iran.

Officially, Israel only has diplomatic relations with two Arab states — neighboring Egypt and Jordan.

However, In February, Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa told The Times of Israel that his country would “eventually” establish diplomatic ties with the Jewish state.

Some Gulf Arab leaders, too — especially Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman — have increasingly put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the back burner, as they instead push to contain historic rival Iran.