Iran’s support for Hezbollah ‘strategic mandate’: Supreme Leader

Tehran: Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei on Sunday described Iran’s support for Hezbollah as a ‘strategic mandate’ in a letter to Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem, local media reported.

In his response to a letter from the Hezbollah leader reaffirming his allegiance, Mojtaba Khamenei hailed the group for standing ‘like an unyielding rock’ against Israel’s ‘savage aggression’, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

“In line with the policy set by the great martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Sayyid Ali Khamenei (may God be pleased with him), the Islamic Republic of Iran considers the defence of these oppressed yet powerful mujahideen to be its strategic mandate,” the Supreme Leader noted in his letter.

He said the letter sent by Hezbollah is worthy of ‘praise and honour’.

Last week, Mojtaba Khamenei said that the US violation of a recently signed peace memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iran once again proved that US President Donald Trump’s signature is worthless and invalid, according to Iranian media.

He made the remarks in a message to the Iranian people carried by Iranian media, in which he addressed the country’s important issues.

Khamenei said the frequent US violations of the MoU, which was signed by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian and Trump on June 18, “once again proved to everyone the fact that how worthless and invalid the US President’s signature is.”

The US had “once again revealed its true and unmasked face,” he said, noting that “this dark experience of crime and breach of promises is another solid proof of the US lying and its illogical, unreliable, and evil nature”.

Khamenei warned that if the US continued what he described as warmongering and sought to impose higher costs, it should expect “unforgettable lessons” from Iran and the resistance front.

The remarks came amid heightened regional tensions despite the MoU, under which the US and Iran were expected to hold negotiations within 60 days toward a final agreement, Xinhua news agency reported.

–IAN