Israel, U.S. Denounced at 21st Anniversary Gathering of Ayotollah Khomeini’s Death in Iran; Divisions Revealed – Video 6/4/10

Iranian thug dictator Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayotollah Khamenei led a special gathering yesterday on the 21st Anniversay of the death of Ayotollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Of course, there was the usual bashing of Israel and the United States. The video above is an Al Jazeera report on the event, which revealed the “deep division” in Iran today between Khamenei and opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. The video shows the grandson of the late Ayotollah Khomeini being chanted down at the event because he is perceived to have supported the opposition leader during last year’s disputed presidential election:

Voice of America: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei marked the 21st anniversary of the death of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini Friday with sharp words for Israel and the U.S. The event appears to be a warning to Iran’s opposition movement which plans to celebrate to commemorate last year’s disputed presidential election.

Iran’s top political and religious leaders attended the ceremony Friday to mark the 21st anniversary of the passing of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Iranian TV reported that two million people in 50,000 buses converged on Tehran for the ceremony. . . .

Ayatollah Khamenei denounced a long litany of those enemies, including monarchists, the People’s Mujahideen (PMOI), the United States, Britain, and Israel. He called Israel a “cancer” and claimed that its days were numbered:

He says that the (Israeli) Zionists will pay for their mistakes, of which they make many. He singles out Israel’s 2006 campaign against Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the conflict in Gaza, last year, and the recent storming of an aid flotilla bound for Gaza. These mistakes, he claims, indicate that Israel is reaching the end of its existence as a state. . . . Read More