The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei openly praised the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre against Israel this week.
Speaking to a crowd of supporters in Tehran, the 94-year-old ruler said that the "Al-Aqsa Storm" was against "the Zionist regime" and that the real goal of the attack was to erase American influence from the Middle East region.
"This historic event, in the true sense of the word, was able to disrupt America's policies in this region, and God willing, this storm will continue and will erase America's agenda," Khamenei said.
The Supreme Leader reiterated the Islamic regime's long-held policy of demanding a referendum to decide the outcome of the Israel-Palestinian conflict while at the same time calling for Hamas to repeat its attack against Israel.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is in favor of a referendum in Palestine and respects the opinion of the people. The viewpoint of the Islamic Republic is not to annihilate the Zionists and Jews," Khamenei added.
Khamenei harshly condemned Israel's attacks against Hamas in Gaza but did not mention that the Israeli military's campaign started following the death of 1,200 Israeli civilians and soldiers by Hamas.
The Supreme Leader insisted that the Israeli military campaign into Gaza has been terrible for the U.S. and other Western allies. Khamenei also repeated false claims that Israel used phosphorous bombs to kill Palestinian children.
The cleric dismissed American efforts to forge new ties in the Middle East between Israel and moderate Arab states.
Khamenei then went on a tirade praising Iran proxies in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria for resisting American occupation.
"The political geography of the region is undergoing changes, but not in favor of the United States; rather, in favor of the Resistance Front. Yes, the geopolitical map of West Asia has changed, but in favor of the resistance, and the resistance has emerged victorious," Khamenei said.
"Today, politics and orientation in this region are about getting rid of America. One of the clear and prominent signs that is evident today is the Al-Aqsa Storm. Yes, this storm is against the Zionist regime, but it is about getting rid of America," he added.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the Islamic Republic under then-Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini vowed to destroy the Jewish state of Israel and enact a global Islamic caliphate.
Following his death, Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei has continued Khomeini's vision, supporting terrorist groups like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, various Shiite groups in Iraq, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and West Bank through military arms and training.
Following the Oct. 7 massacre, various reports from multiple media outlets have revealed that Tehran and Hezbollah helped plan Hamas’s attack against Israel.
While Iran regime officials have publicly denied having any role in the Oct. 7 attack, privately, Tehran has been pushing groups like the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah to up the ante against Israeli and American forces in the Middle East.
