Iran's Khamenei on Gaza: Islam will overcome 'crooked' Western civilization

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei on Sunday called Western civilization “crooked” and said, “The right culture and correct logic of Islam will overcome it,” Iranian state media reported.

In the same speech at a meeting in the Khuzestan province of Iran, on the southern border with Iraq and the Gulf states, he said: “This is the real face of Western culture and civilization and liberal democracy, which on the outside are ironed politicians with smiles on their faces. But on the inside, it is a rabid dog and a bloodthirsty wolf.”

Regarding the war in Gaza, Khamenei condemned what he said was Western hypocrisy.

“Westerners, who make noise and uproar for the execution of a criminal, face the slaughter of 30,000 innocent people in Gaza, and the United States brazenly vetoes the resolution to stop bombing Gaza for the umpteenth time,” he said.

Regarding the Palestinians in Gaza, Khamenei said: “The resistance forces’ standing and the enemy’s dismay from their destruction, as well as the patience of the people of Gaza in the face of bombings and calamities, show a strong religious faith.”

Iran's response to the October 7 massacre 

Following the October 7 massacre, Khamenei praised Hamas, saying, “We kiss the foreheads and arms of those who planned the attack on the Zionist regime.”

Last December, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Gen. Ramezan Sharif took credit for the massacre, saying the terrorist attacks were “acts of revenge” for the killing of “Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani by the US and the Zionists,” according to Iran’s state-sponsored news agency ISNA. Sharif retracted his claim after it was met with severe criticism.

In an interview with NBC in early February, Iranian Ambassador to the UN Amir Saeid Iravani said, referring to Palestinians, “We’re sending arms. We’re training them and empowering them.”

The Iranian regime is a well-known state sponsor of terrorist organizations across the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. In addition to funding terrorist operations, it also provides training and intelligence for these organizations.