Iran will give lightning response to any Israeli aggression: Supreme Leader

TEHRAN, June 5 (MNA) -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said that any Israeli move against Iran will be met with a crushing response. The Leader made the remarks during an address to thousands of people who gathered at the mausoleum of the late Imam Khomeini, the Founder of the Islamic Republic, to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of his death on Sunday. “The leaders of the Zionist regime are well aware that today they are more vulnerable than at any other time. And any misstep or inappropriate move by them will strike them on the head like lightning,” Ayatollah Khamenei stated. “Corrupt and subservient leaders had humiliated the Egyptian nation and had turned the country into a strategic treasure for the Zionist regime for years. But the treasure has now fallen and has been taken out of their hands,” he said. The Leader added, “With the ouster of (former Egyptian president Hosni) Mubarak, the Zionist regime is feeling naked and is in a quandary,” and this is why it has been issuing threats of military action against the Islamic Republic. Ayatollah Khamenei also stated, “The Westerners and the Americans, who have always been providing unconditional support to the occupying regime, are today more embattled than ever. Today, the West is putting on an affectation. They are experiencing financial, economic, and social problems and are helpless with respect to their people. Several pro-U.S. governments in Europe have been toppled. If the people find an opportunity, they will eliminate any trace of the United States’ arrogance that can be seen in Europe. “The United States is experiencing a crisis. However, they (the Americans) are seeking to spread the crisis to Asia, Africa, and the Middle East by creating incidents in other countries and areas with the aim of hiding their weakness.” He went on to say that the U.S. is making efforts to sow sectarian strife among Muslims in various countries, and everyone should be vigilant about the plots hatched by that country. Nuclear hype meant to divert attention from West’s problems Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei commented on the commotion that certain Western countries have raised about Iran’s nuclear program, noting, “The Westerners, including the Americans, are taking crazy measures. They are blowing Iran’s nuclear issue out of proportion with the aim of diverting attention from their own problems. They have made Iran’s nuclear issue the most important issue in the world, while the reality is different. They deceitfully talk about nuclear weapons. They deceitfully hype issues in their media campaigns. Their intention is to divert the attention of the world’s people from the events occurring in the United States, from the events taking place in Europe. However, they will not be successful.” He added, “International media and organizations are talking about the danger of a nuclear Iran, saying, ‘A nuclear Iran is dangerous.’ I say that they are lying. They are deceitful. What they are afraid of and should be afraid of is not a nuclear Iran, it is Islamic Iran. “It is Islamic Iran that has triggered an earthquake that is shaking the pillars of the hegemonistic powers. The Iranian nation has proved that a nation can make true progress without dependence on the United States, without reliance on the self-proclaimed powers.” On the sanctions imposed on Iran over the allegation that it is seeking to produce nuclear weapons, Ayatollah Khamenei stated, “Sanctions cannot prevent the Iranian nation from making progress.” Bahrainis are being oppressed by a dictatorial regime During his speech, the Leader also commented on the situation in Bahrain, noting, “The Bahraini people are truly oppressed. The Bahraini people are being suppressed by an authoritarian and dictatorial regime for no reason. Their protest is being dealt with in the most violent way possible. What do they (the people) want? They are demanding the most fundamental rights that the people have in democratic countries.” “With the grace of God, all endeavors in the region will come to fruition,” Ayatollah Khamenei said, referring to the wave of pro-democracy uprisings rolling across the Middle East and North Africa.