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| Khamenei said US policies in the region were "180 degrees" opposed to Iran's policies |
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has launched an attack on the United States and its Middle East policies, saying Washington sought Iran's "surrender".
Four days after the signing of a nuclear deal in Geneva – an agreement ten years in the making – Khamenei delivered a fiery speech at a Tehran mosque, punctuated by chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel". He said he wanted politicians to examine the agreement to ensure national interests were preserved, as Iran would not allow the disruption of its revolutionary principles or defensive abilities.
An arch conservative with the last word on high matters of state, Khamenei repeatedly used the phrase "whether this text is approved or not", implying the accord has yet to win definitive backing from Iran's factionalised political establishment.
"Whether the deal is approved or disapproved, we will never stop supporting our friends in the region and the people of Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain and Lebanon," he said.
"Even after this deal our policy towards the arrogant US will not change." Read on and comment » | Reuters | Saturday, July 18, 2015
