Qom Friday Prayer Leader:

Officials must give a practical and decisive response to the US over sanctions

Rasa – In response to the new US sanctions on Iran, Ayatollah Saidi said, “Iranian officials must not be satisfied by only condemning and threatening as the US isn’t afraid of words but is afraid of practical actions and retaliation from Iran.”

News ID: 431277

Date: 28 July 2017 - 19:41

RNA – In his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers in Qom’s Qods Prayer Hall, Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Saidi commemorated the anniversary of Operation Mersad [July 26-30, 1988], which was the last major military operation of the Iran-Iraq War and ended in a decisive victory for Iran, and said, “After accepting UNSC Resolution 598, the hypocrites [People’s Mujahedin of Iran] felt that Iran had accepted the resolution from disability and weakness and for this reason, with the help of Saddam, the forces of the hypocrites entered Iran from the country’s western border. They wanted to reach Tehran in 33 hours and on the first night that the hypocrites entered the country, they carried out an attack in Eslamabad-e Gharb and even martyred the sick.”

The custodian of the Holy Shrine of Lady Fatimah al-Ma’sumah expressed that in Operation Mersad, the Islamic Republic of Iran was able to confront the invaders under the command of Shahid Ali Sayyad-Shirazi and added, “In a short time, the hypocritical mercenaries were given a heavy defeat and they rotted away.”

In another part of his speech, Ayatollah Saidi referred to the friendly meeting between the senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps with President Hasan Rouhani on July 24 and added, “Such meetings are very valuable and blessed and have a great deal of effect. No doubt, each side has a different point of view that in these meetings, they can sit face-to-face and explain their ideas and respond to each other.”

He said that none of the parties should allow some important issues, which includes security, to be drawn to the level of society and the media and to a cause of disappointment among the people and to be abused by the enemies.

“Such meetings will increase the spirit of unity and solidarity between the authorities and the armed forces, as a result, this will add to the authority of the government and the armed forces,” he added.

Ayatollah Saidi continued, “The visit, especially on the eve of the inauguration of President Rouhani’s second term [August 4] and its concurrence with the imposition of new US sanctions against Iran sends a message to the Iranian people that the authorities are united and also, the enemies, who want to create dissension among the Iranian people, will be discouraged by this message and their desire to defeat Iran, just like as the previous governments of the US, will be taken to the grave.”

Referring to the hostility of the US government’s imposition of new sanctions against Iran, he said, “Now, it’s up to Iran to respond to this evil behaviour. The US has taken practical actions to impose these sanctions. Iranian officials must not be satisfied by only condemning and threatening as the US isn’t afraid of words but is afraid of practical actions and retaliation from Iran.”

Qom’s Friday prayer leader said, “In anticipation of recent evil actions by the US, we expect confrontation and retaliation. In addition to retaliation, Islamic Iran must coordinate with Russia and North Korea, which are also subject to these sanctions and give a deadly response to the recent American actions. The US must know that its era of bullying and totalitarianism has come to an end in the world.”

Referring to the resistance of the oppressed people of Palestine against the Zionist occupying regime, Ayatollah Saidi noted, “This resistance has once again given a response and the Zionists were forced to take the gates in front of the al-Aqsa Mosque down at night.”

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