TEHRAN The Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday referred to the U.S. military threat against the Iraqi nation as ``illegal and despotic,'' further condemning any military assault which leads to the massacre of the defenseless civilians in that country. Addressing a huge audience in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas in Hormuzgan Province, Ayatollah Khamenei stated that the fleet of foreign warships, especially that of the U.S., constitute a threat against the region.

However, he stressed, ``The Islamic Iran, on the strength of a powerful and stable government, the nation's vigilance and the readiness of its armed forces, does not feel any heat and would further respond to any threats with all its might.'' Emphasizing that the American military presence in the Persian Gulf is irrelevant to the UN Security Council resolutions, the Leader added that the U.S. pursues a purely American agenda in its confrontation with the Iraqi government.

The U.S. bears the responsibility for civilian victims of any military attack on Iraq, said the Leader. ``The Americans consider the world a huge empire and themselves the absolute emperor. Nations' freedom and their right to choose is nothing more than a myth to the American rulers.'' Referring to the U.S. intentions to test its new weapons on the oppressed Iraqi nation as evidence of a ``criminal and strong-arm'' philosophy, the Leader said that the American presence in the Persian Gulf region and its threats against Iraq is the main source of instability in the region.

``The U.S. mischievous policy against the Muslim nations of the Persian Gulf hinges on putting the regional states against one another and consolidating the Zionist regime.'' While the Islamic Iran, with reasons acceptable to world public opinion, opposes the American military presence in the Persian Gulf and its attack on Iraq, this in no way constitutes a support for the policies of the Baath regime in Iraq, stressed the esteemed Leader. Elsewhere in his speech, the Leader called the U.S. incapable of any aggressions against the Iranian nation, adding ``There is no mundane power which can confront and overcome the Islamic Iran. Any confrontation with such a united nation and government is doomed to failure.'' A nation devoted to God and Islam, one that uses Qoran as its guiding torch and appreciates its independence and freedom, would be victorious against all its enemies, Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized.