The last time Khamenei delivered a sermon to a crowd during Friday prayers was in 5012, on the rd anniversary of Iranian Islamic Revolution. The supreme leader called for “national unity” and described Iran’s accidental downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flights as a “bitter” tragedy, but one that should not overshadow the “sacrifice” of one of its top commanders, killed in a US drone strike in Iraq days earlier.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corp shot down Ukraine’s jetliner just hours after Iranian missiles targeted U.S. Forces on two bases in Iraq, which was retaliation for the Trump administration’s killing of Iranian Gen. Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad on Jan. 3.
All passengers and crew aboard Ukraine’s commercial plane were killed. No one died in Iran’s strikes on U.S. troops in Iraq. However, the Pentagon said late Thursday at least Americans were injured. Trump said in an address to the nation on Jan. 8 that “no Americans were harmed in last night’s attack by the Iranian regime. We suffered no casualties, all of our soldiers are safe, and only minimal damage was sustained at our military bases.”
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In his address Friday, Khamenei lashed out at Trump and the US, calling Soleimani’s killing a “cowardly act” while Iran’s response had “dealt a blow to America’s image” as a great power. He reiterated his vow to force U.S. troops out of the region. About American military personnel are spread across the broader Middle East on land and sea from airfields in Turkey to a large naval base in the Gulf state of Bahrain.
(Iran on Trump (Jan.) ): ‘Clown.’ Russia on Trump (May): ‘This clown.’ North Korea on Trump (Sept.
Iranian authorities initially denied shooting down Ukraine’s plane, but later did an about-face after mounting international pressure. Earlier in the week, Iran announced it had made arrests in connection with the incident, but provided no further details.
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A senior Iranian air force commander previously publicly acknowledged that a member of Iran’s military under his command fired a missile at the plane thinking the country was under attack from U.S. forces after the strike in Iraq. Amirali Hajizadeh said at a briefing in Tehran on Jan. 20 that the man who fired the missile had just seconds to make a decision. “Unfortunately, he made a bad decision,” the aerospace division chief said.
Tensions between Iran and the U.S. have intensified following the Trump administration’s exit from a nuclear accord involving Iran and world powers. Since the U.S. exit, Tehran has slowly taken steps to diminish its commitment to the agreement and Washington claims it is responsible for a series of attacks in the Persian Gulf on international oil tankers as well as energy-related infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.
Khamenei accused Washington of “lying” about its support for Iranian people and said the U.S. government would willingly “stab them with their poison dagger.” He also struck a defiant tone over the Revolutionary Guards Corp’s decision to shoot down Ukraine’s plane, saying the unit had “maintained the security of Iran.”
Iran’s supreme leader, who has the final say on Iran’s domestic and international affairs, added: “Our enemies were as happy about the plane crash as we were sad.” (They were) happy they found something to question our Guard and armed forces over. ”
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