Khamenei’s Reps Used Friday Prayer Sermons Across Iran to Boast Warmongering Rhetoric
iran friday prayer sermon october 27, 2023
Written by
Farid Mahoutchi
Amid the ongoing and devastating crisis in the Middle East, which continues to claim innocent lives and inflict enduring scars on the region and the world, the clerical regime ruling Iran persists in promoting a warlike stance. They take pride in their prominent role in the crisis, doing so primarily for a domestic audience that has become increasingly alienated from the regime’s destructive ambitions.
Despite a substantial portion of Iranian society expressing their discontent with the regime’s aggressive regional policies and the depletion of their resources to support militias across the Middle East, the Supreme Leader of the regime remains committed to boosting the morale of his demoralized security forces. He aims to achieve this by projecting an illusion of power on the international stage. Consequently, state officials have altered their rhetoric since October 7, fully aware that this change may eventually provoke international conviction.
In his Friday prayer sermon on October 27, Ahmad Alamolhoda, Ebrahim Raisi’s father-in-law and the Supreme Leader’s close associate, said, “Now, the focus has shifted away from the Israel-Palestine issue. It has become a battle between Islam and infidels; one side represents the disbelievers and the other stands for Islam. Given that Islam is on one side of this divide, and we identify as Muslims, we naturally align ourselves with that side.”
On October 27, during his speech, Mohammad Javad Haj Ali Akbari, the Friday Prayer Leader in Tehran, stated, “This time we are witnessing a severe act of divine retribution. The Al-Aqsa storm has triggered a significant coordinated effort, an extraordinary occurrence, and a pivotal moment in our era that should mark a dividing line in the history of the region and the world, separating the period before and after October 7.”
Khamenei’s Birjand Representative Exposes #Iranian Public Condemnation of Regime’s Warmongeringhttps://t.co/9j2ZmukFTY
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 25, 2023
Ali Akbari further explained, “Moreover, keen observers had noticed that the Israeli regime’s military was preparing for a major and extensive operation in the Gaza Strip and northern Gaza. Collaborative efforts among complicit regional governments had normalized relations, leading to the culmination of a plan where everything was supposed to unfold simultaneously. This was the driving force behind the Al-Aqsa operation and all the behind-the-scenes activities.”
During the Friday prayer sermon in Mashhad, Hossein Ahmadi said, “These days, we are witnessing the realization of the long-awaited Ultimate Revenge. The Ultimate Revenge is not merely launching a missile at the American Ain al-Asad base in Iraq. The Ultimate Revenge entails the dismantling of the Israeli regime, and thankfully, it is unfolding. They are currently trapped in the Gaza Strip. Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran have not yet fully shown themselves.”
Ahmadi’s statements, broadcast by the local Astan-e-Quds TV, carried a warning to those within the regime who may be considering defection, as he stated, “Moreover, there are some unfaithful individuals among our ranks, individuals who have thrived within this sacred system. These are self-proclaimed artists who rose to fame in the Islamic Republic of Iran, some athletes, regrettably ensnared by the nefarious, and certain Anglo-Shiite pseudo-clerics. They all benefit from the revolution while secretly undermining Islam. Hence, we must proclaim loudly, ‘Death to the hypocrites!”
#Iranian regime’s FM officially expresses ownership of the #Gaza crisis pic.twitter.com/MNrtiOovaG
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 19, 2023
The persistent and bellicose rhetoric, which is being translated and disseminated across foreign capitals, fails to instill an understanding of the nefarious agendas that have festered for far too long. It brings to mind the malevolent regimes of history, which extended their reach, causing destruction and death far beyond their own borders.
For a number of decades, the terrorizing regime in Iran has employed a similar strategy: projecting strength to both friends and foes, all the while employing a facade of detachment to evade the consequences of its reprehensible actions. It is not genuine might but the world’s reluctance to act that has sustained this regime. Therefore, if the world is determined to prevent another “never again” moment, it must heed the hard-earned lessons from the Second World War and unequivocally reject appeasement, as a resolute policy is long overdue.