Tehran [Iran], August 24 : Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on Sunday issued a strong warning to the United States, saying that the US wants Tehran to be "obedient," but the Iranian people will stand with "all its strength" against those who harbour such a "false expectation."
Speaking on the anniversary of the martyrdom of the eighth Shia Imam, Imam Reza (PBUH), Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran is "deeply offended."
"The US wants Iran to be obedient to it. The Iranian nation is deeply offended by such a great insult and will stand with all its strength against those who harbour such a false expectation of the Iranian people," he said.
Khamenei emphasised that the US's hostility toward Iran is not a recent phenomenon, as various American administrations have maintained a consistent stance of enmity, sanctions, and threats against the Islamic Republic and the Iranian people ever since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, as per IRNA.
He criticised those who advocate for direct negotiations with Washington, calling them "shallow-minded."
Previously, the reasons for this hostility were often obscured under various pretexts, such as terrorism, human rights, women's issues, and democracy, Ayatollah Khamenei said.
However, he added, the current US administration has clarified its true objective as it stated that the opposition to Iran stems from a desire for the nation to be obedient to US demands.
According to IRNA, Khamenei has called on Iranians to maintain their unity in the face of growing external pressures.
Khamenei urged all people, officials, and intellectuals to wholeheartedly preserve and strengthen the iron shield of the current great national unity. He also said that all people and groups should support the hardworking President Masoud Pezeshkian.
The Supreme Leader of Iran also highlighted that Tehran's enemies have realised through the steadfastness and powerful unity of the nation and the Armed Forces that the Iranian people and the Islamic system cannot be subdued or commanded through war.