Iran Supreme Leader Calls for Cutting Ties with Israel ‘for Limited Period’

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is seen at a military exhibition. (Supreme Leader's website)
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is seen at a military exhibition. (Supreme Leader's website)
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Iran Supreme Leader Calls for Cutting Ties with Israel ‘for Limited Period’

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is seen at a military exhibition. (Supreme Leader's website)
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is seen at a military exhibition. (Supreme Leader's website)

Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei urged regional countries to sever their "political relationship with the Zionist [Israeli] regime at least for a limited period."

Khamenei said Israel's "defeat" in its war against the Hamas movement is "a reality" and reveals the "failure" of Western countries.

During a visit to the Ashura Aerospace University of Science and Technology, Khamenei toured an exhibition showing the latest achievements of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force.

During the visit, officials unveiled the "Fattah 2" hypersonic cruise missile, the "Mehran" mobile defense system, the upgraded "9th of Dey" system, and the "Shahed 147" drone.

"Some Islamic governments have condemned Israeli crimes in assemblies while some have not. This is unacceptable," Khamenei said, reiterating that the main task of Islamic governments should be to cut off Israel from energy and goods, reported Reuters.

He made similar remarks weeks ago.

Khamenei added: "Islamic governments should at least cut off political ties to Israel for a limited time."

His website quoted him as saying that the events in Gaza revealed "many hidden facts", including the support of the heads of Western countries for "racial discrimination".

"Despite the massive bombings in Gaza, the Zionist regime has so far failed in its action because they said from the beginning that their goal is to destroy and cripple Hamas and the Resistance, but after more than 40 days and after using all their military power, they have not yet been able to do this," he said.

He noted that the "savage bombardment of hospitals, women, and children in Gaza is a sign that the Zionist leaders are enraged by their defeat."

"The Zionist regime's defeat in Gaza is a fact. Advancing and entering hospitals or people's homes is not a victory because victory means defeating the other side, which is something that the Zionist regime has not been able to achieve so far, nor will it be able to do in the future," he added.

Khamenei accused the leaders of the US, Germany, France and the UK of being racist because of their support and help to the "racist" Israeli regime.

"The Zionists consider themselves as a superior race and consider the rest of the human race to be inferior. That is why they have killed several thousand children without any remorse," he added.



Traffic on French High-Speed Trains Gradually Improving after Sabotage

Workers operate to reconnect the signal box to the track in its technical ducts in Vald' Yerres, near Chartres on July 26, 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (AFP)
Workers operate to reconnect the signal box to the track in its technical ducts in Vald' Yerres, near Chartres on July 26, 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (AFP)
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Traffic on French High-Speed Trains Gradually Improving after Sabotage

Workers operate to reconnect the signal box to the track in its technical ducts in Vald' Yerres, near Chartres on July 26, 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (AFP)
Workers operate to reconnect the signal box to the track in its technical ducts in Vald' Yerres, near Chartres on July 26, 2024, as France's high-speed rail network was hit by an attack disrupting the transport system, hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (AFP)

Traffic on France's TGV high-speed trains was gradually returning to normal on Saturday after engineers worked overnight repairing sabotaged signal stations and cables that caused travel chaos on Friday, the opening day of the Paris Olympic Games.

In Friday's pre-dawn attacks on the high-speed rail network vandals damaged infrastructure along the lines connecting Paris with cities such as Lille in the north, Bordeaux in the west and Strasbourg in the east. Another attack on the Paris-Marseille line was foiled, French rail operator SNCF said.

There has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

"On the Eastern high-speed line, traffic resumed normally this morning at 6:30 a.m. while on the North, Brittany and South-West high-speed lines, 7 out of 10 trains on average will run with delays of 1 to 2 hours," SNCF said in a statement on Saturday morning.

"At this stage, traffic will remain disrupted on Sunday on the North axis and should improve on the Atlantic axis for weekend returns," it added.

SNCF reiterated that transport plans for teams competing in the Olympics would be guaranteed.