Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the era of negotiation of Tehran’s nuclear program has ended and that those who wanted to deal with America — which he said must be destroyed — are guilty of treason.
“Those [Iranians] who want to promote negotiations and surrender to the oppressors and blame the Islamic Republic as a warmonger in reality commit treason,” he said Sunday during a public address to members of parliament, Fars News Agency reported.
Mr. Khamenei also said a combative-type mindset was necessary for Iran to achieve its higher goals and win over the “oppressors’ front,” The Daily Caller reported.
“The reason for continuation of this battle is not the warmongering of the Islamic Republic,” he said. “Logic and reason command that Iran, in order to pass through a region full of pirates, needs to arm itself and must have the capability to defend itself. Today’s world is full of thieves and plunderers of human honor … [who] commit crimes and betray human ideals and start wars in different parts of the world.”
One lawmaker asked how long the battle would wage, The Daily Caller reported.
His reply: “Battle and jihad are endless because evil and its front continue to exist. … This battle will only end when the society can get rid of the oppressors’ front with America at the head of it, which has expanded its claws on human mind, body and thought. … This requires a difficult and lengthy struggle and need for great strides.”
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• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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