TEHRAN – Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has warned against Arab countries normalizing relations with Israel, describing it as placing bet on the wrong horse.

Speaking on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Leader of the Islamic Revolution warned regional countries seeking to normalize ties with Israel that they are acting to their own detriment. 

“The Islamic Republic's definite position is that the governments that use the normalization gamble with the Zionist regime as a model for themselves will lose and the loss awaits them. They are making a mistake and, as the Europeans say, they are betting on a losing horse,” said Ayatollah Khamenei on Tuesday.

He was speaking to a group of Iranian officials as well as visiting ambassadors from Muslim countries, and participants at the 37th International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran.

The Leader warned that the Israeli regime is awash with furry and hatred towards not only Iran but all countries in the region. That’s because the regime, initially planning to invade and occupy regions stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates, did not manage to reach its expansionist goals, according to the Leader.

Ayatollah Khamenei noted that Palestinian resistance groups are more cheerful, lively and ready than ever.

“And God willing, this movement will come to fruition, and as the late honorable Imam [Khomeini] described the Israeli regime as a cancer, God willing, this cancer will be eradicated at the hands of the Palestinian people and the resistance forces in the entire region."

In another part of his speech, the Leader called for unity among Muslim nations. He stated that if they follow the same route, Muslims states can thwart any seditions in the region which would be to everyone’s benefit. 
“Who is the enemy of the unity of the Islamic countries and whom does the unity of Muslims harm and prevent their interference and looting?” Ayatollah Khamenei asked, explaining that Islamic countries in West Asia and North Africa must get united to prevent American theft, coercion and interference.

He said, “The U.S. tries to hurt regional countries through various political and economic means. It steals Syria's oil, funds and shelters the cruel, barbaric and bloodthirsty Daesh in its camps, so that it can revive the terror group when it deems necessary and proceed to interfere in the internal affairs of countries in the region.”

“However, if everyone is united and Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the Persian Gulf countries adopt a single policy in fundamental and general issues, the bullying powers cannot and will not dare to interfere in their internal affairs and foreign policy,” the Leader added. 

Ayatollah Khamenei also touched on Western countries growing support for anti-Islam sentiments in recent months. He pointed at the recent string of Quran desecrations in Sweden and Denmark, saying the incidents are not simple insulting acts and that there are more layers to them.  

He continued, “In the countries that allow insulting the Quran under the pretext of freedom of speech, do they also allow attacking Zionist symbols? What language can be used to prove more clearly that the countries in question are under the domination of the cruel, criminal and plundering Zionists of the world?”

“They think they can weaken the Quran, but they are wrong and they will end up hurting themselves,” the Leader warned. 

He also called the Quran a book of wisdom, knowledge and awakening which would only act as a threat to corrupt powers. 

MHA