Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke Oct. 1 to Iranian commanders and officers about the futility of compromising with the enemy. Although Khamenei has recently made harsh statements targeting Saudi Arabia over the stampede at the hajj that killed 465 Iranians, his statements to military leaders were indirect but can be construed as a response to the historic handshake between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and US President Barack Obama Sept. 28 at the UN General Assembly in New York.
In praising Iran’s independence despite the hostility of other countries, Khamenei said, “The enemy wants the submission of the Islamic system, and by appeasing them, the hostility will not be resolved.” He added, “The rise of an independent nation that opposes the bullies and those who are affiliated with them is intolerable for the dominating powers. Therefore, they are hostile to these types of [independent] nations, and the idea that if we don’t say a certain thing, or do not do such a thing, be considerate with the enemy and their hostility will decline, is a wrong idea.”
