US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday assailed Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who on Saturday called for violent resistance to Israel.
Amid recent reports that Israel could possibly take part in a joint coalition to safeguard international waterways in the Persian Gulf, Khamenei condemned a US blueprint to end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and called on hajj pilgrims to oppose it, Iranian state media reported.
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"The trick called the 'deal of the century', which is being pushed by an oppressive America and its traitorous companions is a crime against humanity, and not just the Palestinian people," he said. "We call upon everyone to take an active part in defeating this deceit by the enemy."
Pompeo responded on Twitter, writing:"It's sick that on the eve of #TishaBAv – a solemn day for the Jewish people – [Khamenei] calls for violence against the Jewish state."
He also wrote that Khamenei's "faux concern for the Palestinian people runs so deep that under his reign of terror he provided less than $20,000 in aid since 2008, while sending millions to Hamas & other terrorists. In contrast, US provided $6.3 billion in support to Palestinians since 1994.
"[Khamenei] doesn't see 'progress' as prosperity for the Palestinian people, but Palestinian terrorists switching from rocks to rockets to kill more Jews. The Iranian people don't want this; they deserve leadership behaviors that reflect their greatness," Pompeo wrote.
