The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has urged countries in the region to resist American plans in Iraq and Palestine. During a meeting with Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam in Tehran, Khamenei emphasized that American threats are directed at everyone, calling for cooperation and coordination among these countries.
Iranian television reported that Khamenei stated, “All Iraqi groups and influential countries in the region should work together to safeguard Iraq’s unity and territorial integrity.”
Khaddam also met with former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who currently heads the Expediency Council in Iran. Rafsanjani condemned the “strategic mistakes made by extremists leading the United States” who disregard the rights of the Iraqi, Afghan, Palestinian, and Lebanese people.
Rafsanjani further expressed his belief that the Americans are facing long-term difficulties in the region from which they will not be able to extricate themselves for years.
Following his meeting with Hashemi Rafsanjani, Syrian Vice President Abdel Halim Khaddam called for a conference of Iraqi political forces and parties, with support from both Tehran and Damascus. Khaddam believed that such a conference could create a conducive environment to strengthen the unity of the Iraqi people, remove occupiers from their territory, and grant the United Nations a pivotal role in overseeing the process.
