Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called for blocking the export of oil and essentials to Israel, warning that bombardment of the Gaza Strip is killing Israeli captives.
Khamenei underlined in a speech during an annual meeting with students that the Islamic world must move against Israel “by cutting off economic cooperation with the Zionist regime.”
He added that members of the global Islamic community are insisting on "the immediate cessation of the bombings and crimes that are taking place in Gaza," Reuters reported the official media.
Khamenei repeated recent accusations against the US, saying it was "complicit" in the latest Israeli crimes against the Palestinians.
"The Islamic world should not forget that in the crucial issue of Gaza, those standing against the oppressed Palestinian nation were the United States, France, and Britain," Khamenei said to chants of "Death to Israel" and "Death to America."
"One of the shameless acts of the West is accusing Palestinian fighters of terrorism," Khamenei said.
He also touched on the demonstrations in Western countries demanding an end to the war on Gaza.
He dismissed accusations that Iran organized the pro-Palestinian rallies in the Western countries, saying the people are coming out in large numbers to chant slogans against Israel, underlining that these absurd analyses are the result of their incurable disrepute.
- Iranian-US hostility
The Leader strongly attacked the US, defending the storming of the embassy ten months after the 1979 revolution, which led to the largest diplomatic crisis between the two nations.
"The Americans and those who naively or with other motives repeat their words saying that the hostility and conspiracies of the US [against Iran] began after the takeover of the embassy of that country, but this claim is completely false."
The Supreme Leader indicated that historical facts demonstrate that US enmity toward the Iranian nation began 26 years before the embassy takeover and from the cruel coup d'état of 1953 against the "national government of Dr. Mossadegh."
He further cited the documents obtained from the US embassy and said they show that the embassy had become a center of conspiracy and espionage, planning coups and civil war and managing counter-revolution media outlets since the first days of the victory of the Revolution.
- West Asia
Iran's rulers warned Israel, saying its proxies in the Middle East are ready to act.
The US said Iranian-backed armed factions were responsible for the increase in missile and drone attacks in Syria and Iraq.
US Forces targeted several locations in Syria in response to "unprovoked" attacks against its bases in the past few weeks, fueling fears that the conflict in Gaza could spark a broader war.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said the attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria over the past days were not related to Iran.
Vahidi, a former commander of the Quds Force, added: "Israel is committing its crimes in Gaza with the US green light," and Washington may be targeted as the "main culprit" anywhere as it is "managing the conflict."
He described the attacks against US targets in Syria and Iraq as a natural reaction to Washington's support for Israel in the war against Hamas.
Contrary to Vahidi, a former IRGC commander admitted to forming a joint operations room between the "Axis of Resistance" to manage the war with Israel, which would improve the coordination of operations and the combat ability of the resistance.
Mohsen Rezaee, member of the Expediency Council, said that Israel would "drown in the Gaza quagmire" if it began ground operations in the Strip.
Rezaee believed that the US needed an excuse to bring back its troops to West Asia, noting three scenarios facing the region.
The possible scenarios include Washington seeking to return and exercise its power, China and Russia replacing the US, and regional countries uniting to ensure their security and development.
The war on Gaza was a turning point for the beginning of significant events in West Asia, said the official, expecting the changes to continue over time.
Asked about the reason for wearing military fatigues, Rezaee said that Iran did not want war but was ready for it.
He, however, warned that regional countries have changed from when the US had decided to invade Iraq and Afghanistan.
"It is on them [Americans] to decide whether they want to enter a war with Islamic countries."
