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West’s claims over nuclear program, human rights mere excuses: Leader
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks on Tuesday during a ceremony to mark the 40th day since the martyrdom of those killed in the last month Israel’s aggression against Iran.
“Nuclear program, enrichment, human rights are all excuses ... What they are after is your religion and knowledge,” he said.
“Our nation, by divine grace, will never abandon its religion or its knowledge,” he said. “We will take great strides in strengthening our faith and deepening our scientific advancement.”
The Leader said that the recent 12-day aggression against Iran revealed the strength and determination of the Iranian nation, and showed the world the unmatched firmness of the Islamic Republic’s foundation.
Ayatollah Khamenei added that the war served as an occasion for the Islamic Republic to display its willpower and capabilities, stressing that the root cause of enmity toward Iran lies in the nation’s “faith, knowledge, and unity.”
“They are against this widespread faith of [our] people, their unity under the banner of Islam and the Qur’an, and they are against your knowledge.”
The Leader’s remarks come in the wake of Israel’s June 13 aggression targeting senior Iranian officials and nuclear scientists in an act of terrorism that killed scores of civilians as well. Days later, the United States escalated the war by bombing three civilian nuclear facilities in Iran.
In a powerful response, Iranian Armed Forces launched retaliatory strikes on strategic Israeli targets across the occupied territories and also hit the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military outpost in West Asia.