Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi lashed out at Israel on Thursday and expressed support for the Palestinian Arab “resistance” against the Jewish state.
Speaking during a meeting in Tehran with Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nahala, Raisi described resistance as the superior and ultimately victorious logic and said, "Today, resistance is both defensible as an idea and has yielded results in the field of action".
"It is not the so-called peace agreements, but the ‘light path of resistance’ that has made the enemy desperate and paralyzed and the supporters of the resistance approach in the world hopeful," said Raisi, according to a transcript of the comments posted to his website.
On the efforts to normalize ties between Israel and regional countries, the Iranian President said, "The Zionist Regime thought that by normalizing and establishing relations with these countries, it could create security for itself, while these measures did not create security for the Zionists in any way, and it won't happen because they don't have correct knowledge and prediction of the region and its future developments."
"We have no doubt in realizing the victory of the Palestinian resistance and the liberation of the Holy Quds, which is the dream of Martyr Soleimani and all the martyrs of the resistance," he added.
The President further called the support of the nations for the Palestinian issue as the biggest obstacle to the policies of the United States and the Zionist Regime in the region and added, "Today, the Muslim nations of the region deeply hate the usurping Zionist Regime and consider resistance as the main and basic line in confronting this Regime."
Nahala expressed his satisfaction with the meeting with Raisi and said, "Today, the Islamic Republic of Iran has a strong and powerful presence in the region and the world more than ever before, and there is no doubt that the personal approach of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Strengthening relations with the countries of the region and standing against the dominators has played a significant role in this field."
Iran has supported both the Islamic Jihad and Hamas and has said it is proud to be doing so. Senior officials in both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad have openly admitted they received support and assistance from Iran on both the financial and military levels.
The comments by Raisi are in line with comments against Israel that are regularly made by Iranian leaders, including Raisi himself.
In April, the President warned that Israel will be targeted by his country's armed forces if it makes “the tiniest move” against Iran.
Raisi did not elaborate, but said Iran watches any move by Israel “closely.”
The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's aerospace forces, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, said several months ago that Israel was "doomed to disappear" and that any action by Israel against the Islamic Republic would hasten that disappearance.
Previously, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, spoke at the United Nations Durban IV conference, where he said his nation’s "willpower is dedicated" to the elimination of Zionism.