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Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has criticized the United States for its handling of recent anti-Israeli demonstrations, despite his own security forces killing thousands over the past five years.
On Thursday, Khamenei accused the US government and police of trampling on students "right in front of the people, cameras, and the world's media."
In recent months, the US has witnessed a surge of protests against Israel, particularly in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. These demonstrations, often led by students, have been praised by Iranian officials as proof that their political ideology is taking root in Western countries.
"What they [the US] wanted to do in Iran has now happened to them,” Khamenei added, referring to his conspiracy theory that protests in Iran were an American plot.
Several rounds of widespread anti-regime protests shook Iran in 2017, 2019 and 2022. More than 2,000 protesters were killed by security forces and around 30,000 arrested. Iran has also hanged hanged dozens of dissidents and political prisoners in the past decade.
Khamenei took credit for protests in the United States, saying these are "blessings" brought on by Iran's Islamic revolution and its founder ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The protests are "unprecedented phenomenon in contemporary history," he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the protesters as "Iran's useful idiots." In a speech to the US Congress on July 24, Netanyahu stated, "I have a message for these protesters: When the tyrants of Tehran who hang gays from cranes and murder women for not covering their hair are praising, promoting, and funding you, you have officially become Iran's useful idiots."
Thousands of people gathered in Washington DC on Wednesday, to protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They attacked monuments and burned American flags chanting praise for Hamas and threats against Jews.
Netanyahu's comments come amid a backdrop of intense conflict in Gaza. Since the war began, following the Hamas attack on Israel, leftist and pro-Palestinian students mobilized across US campuses to oppose Israel’s actions. The Hamas invasion of October 7, which resulted in the deaths of 1,200 mostly civilians, triggered a harsh retaliation from Israel. According to Hamas, over 35,000 Palestinians have since been killed. However, Israel continues its campaign to eliminate Hamas and rescue the remaining 125 hostages in Gaza. Throughout the conflict, the US has defended Israel's right to self-defense.
Khamenei, who has spent 35 years of his authoritarian rule campaigning against Israel and the West, is leveraging these protests to bolster his anti-Western narrative. By showcasing anti-Israeli and anti-Western sentiment abroad, Khamenei aims to justify his government’s actions and ideology both at home and on the international stage.
