Supreme Leader of Iran Delivers Blistering Prayers

Khamenei delivered Friday prayers for first time in nearly 5 years
By Kate Seamons,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 4, 2024 6:19 AM CDT
Supreme Leader of Iran Delivers Blistering Prayers
In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, second right, read Quran in a ceremony commemorating slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, at Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Oct. 4, 2024.   (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei holds another title, that of Tehran Friday prayer leader, but he nearly always has subordinates fill in for him. On Friday, he assumed the role for the first time in nearly five years, delivering an exceedingly rare 40-minute sermon at Tehran's Mosalla mosque that was filled with blistering words and praise for his country's Tuesday attack on Israel. Standout lines from the AP, NDTV, and the Guardian:

  • He characterized the missile attack as a "shining" job by Iran's armed forces as well as "legal and legitimate" and the "minimum punishment" for Israel against their "astonishing crimes." He called Hamas' Oct. 7 attack a "legitimate act" as well.
  • He said Iran will not "procrastinate or rush to carry out its duty" in confronting the "vampire" regime of Israel, which "won't last long."
  • "Our resisting people in Lebanon and Palestine, you brave fighters, you loyal and patient people, these martyrdoms and the blood that was shed shouldn't shake your determination but make you more persistent."
The BBC notes Khamenei had last delivered a Friday prayer in January 2020, in the wake of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani's death; prior to that, he had last done so in 2012. (More Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stories.)

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