Prosecutor General Ebrahim Raisi gave a fiery speech attacking United States “atrocities” ranging from slavery, the treatment of Native Americans, phone tapping and “the killing of 300,000 Iraqis”.
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The supreme leader, Khamenei, may now be offering calculated nods in each direction.
Also, the Iranian lawmaker Gholamreza Mesbahi Moqaddam, who was present in the demonstration, told Xinhua that “They (the Americans) look down on us”. For instance, Reuters reports that an American-Lebanese IT professional who disappeared while attending a conference in Iran was taken captive by Iranian authorities and accused of having “deep ties to the USA intelligence and military establishment”.
Araqchi further said he does not see any problems from the Americans regarding the removal of the Western-imposed sanctions on Iran, and if problems appear Iran will ask the U.S.to resolve them.
“America is the main part of the problem in the region, not part of the solution”, Khamenei said, as quoted by Yahoo News.
His statement, which was published on the Sepahnews information website of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), came while IRGC head Mohammad Ali Jafari announced earlier that “only Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khemenei can determine of the range of Iranian missiles”.
Iranians are holding massive rallies across the country to mark the 36th anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the USA embassy in the capital, Tehran. This slogan, which had its origin on strained USA relations for more than 50 long years, is nothing new in this country every time Iran’s Supreme Leader speaks or addresses a crowd. The agreement promises Tehran relief from crippling economic sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
Khamenei said the “aim of the slogan is not death to American people”.
Four other Iranian-Americans are being held in Tehran, including Pastor Saeed Abedini, who was convicted in 2013 on Christian-related activities. A fifth American went missing in 2007, and the Iranian government is believed to have knowledge of his whereabouts.
The crackdown and the sharp rhetoric come amid the hard-liners’ push against a nuclear deal with world powers and ahead of crucial February parliamentary elections.
A few critics have expressed anger at multiple pictures depicting young Iranian children, with one activist group, United Against Nuclear Iran, describing it as a “disgusting exploitation of children”.
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“While these publicity initiatives may look aggressive, the Iranians are always careful to say that the program is defensive in nature”, said Jeremy Binnie, Middle East Editor at IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly.
