Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with organizers and officials of Iran’s Hajj organization on Monday, as the Hajj season in Saudi Arabia approaches.
He was referring to US President Donald Trump’s deal, as of yet undisclosed, devised to settle the decades of conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
The so-called ‘deal of the century’ plan was strongly censured by Palestinian Resistance movement Hamas, which called it a “violation of the Palestinian people's legitimate rights,” including the right of return, liberating their occupied lands and establishing their independent state with Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
“To US’ dismay, the Palestinian cause will never be forgotten and al-Quds will remain the capital of Palestine,” said Ayatollah Khamenei, adding “regrettably, some Muslim governments, due to their lack of faith in the principle of Islam, never mind the Palestinian cause, have chosen to sacrifice themselves for the US, but this too will come to nothing and they will see the day when the roots of the fabricated Zionist regime will dry up.”
“Today, the Muslim World needs unanimity. Division is forbidden, because the enemy is focused on the Islamic World,” Ayatollah Khamenei stressed.
Elsewhere, Iran’s Leader described Hajj as an amalgamation of religion and politics, chastising those who separate these two concepts as not having an understanding of Islam.
“Holy Mecca, Al-Haram Mosque, and the Prophet's Mosque belong to all Muslims, not just to those who rule over the land,” the Leader stressed. “People should not think that they can do whatever they want in this land. All Muslims have an equal claim on Mecca and Medina.”
The Leader then referred to the two tragic incidents of Mecca crane collapse in 2015 in which 111 people were killed and 394 others injured, and the 2015 Mina stampede, caused deaths estimated at well over 2,000 pilgrims, including nearly 500 Iranians. He highlighted the need for constant and serious follow-up on the two cases, adding “relevant bodies must utilize all ways, particularly international channels, to pursue the case until a fact-finding committee is formed with participation of the Islamic Republic.”
The Leader further maintained that the safety of Hajj pilgrims, as the gravest responsibility of the Saudi government, had not been observed and the compensations had not been paid to the families of victims.
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