Guess who Iran’s "Supreme Leader" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blamed for the anti-Islam movie that’s roiled the Middle East? Yep, you guessed it, Zionists!
Since he does not explicitly reference the now disproven claims that the movie was produced by an Israeli and financed by Jews (a falsehood, by the way, that Iran’s Press TV is still parroting), Khamenei may be making a more general accusation of the sort that Iranian leaders routinely issue blaming everything but the common cold on the machinations of "evil Zionists."
Here’s what Khamenei had to say in his statement:
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In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Dear Iranian nation; the great Islamic ummah
The filthy hand of the enemies of Islam once again revealed its deep-rooted malice by insulting the Grand Prophet [Mohammad] (PBUH) and with an insane and deplorable measure showed the fury of the evil Zionists at the daily-increasing radiance of Islam and Holy Qur’an in the present world.
Regarding the disgrace of the agents of this crime and great sin it suffices to say that they have targeted the most sacred and luminous figure among the world sanctities with their disgusting nonsense. Behind this evil move lie the antagonistic policies of the Zionists and the US and other heads of the global arrogance, who in their vain delusions want to knock down the Islamic sanctities from their lofty position in the eyes of the young generations in the world of Islam and to extinguish their religious sentiments.
Had they not backed the previous links in this evil chain, namely Salman Rushdie, the Danish cartoonist, and the US pastors who burned the Holy Qur’an and had they not made orders for [production of] tens of anti-Islam movies to companies affiliated to the Zionist capitalists, things would not have lead to this great and unforgivable sin today.
The prime suspects in this crime are Zionism and the US government. If the US politicians are honest in their claim of not being involved [in production of this film], [they] must bring the perpetrators of this hideous crime and their financial backers, who have wrenched the hearts of Muslim nations, to face a punishment proportionate to this great crime.
Muslim brothers and sisters must know that this desperate move by the enemies in the wake of the Islamic Awakening is a sign of the grandeur and importance of this uprising and heralds its increasing growth.
Seyyed Ali Khamenei
September 13, 2012
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