Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Sunday speaking at a meeting in Tehran with the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Ramadan Abdullah, said that defending “the Palestinian cause in the face of the Israeli regime” symbolizes defending Islam.

“Since from the very beginning, the Islamic Republic of Iran considered supporting Palestine as a duty, it will continue to fulfill its obligation in the future as well,” he was quoted as having said, adding that “defending the Palestinian cause” is enshrined in the very nature of the Islamic Republic.

Also on his speech, Khamenei blasted the United States, claiming that it along with Western governments have initiated a war against the Islamic front in a bid to dominate the region.

“The [ongoing] developments in the region must be studied and analyzed from such a viewpoint, and within this framework, the issues of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Hezbollah are part of this large-scale confrontation,” he said, according to PressTV.

Ayatollah Khamenei said the Islamic Republic continues to support the Syrian government “because those standing against Syria are in fact hostile to Islam in principle and are serving the interests of the U.S. and the Zionist regime.”

He also highlighted the strength of the Hezbollah, claiming the Israeli regime is more “fearful” of Hezbollah than before.

In March, the Supreme Leader ruled out his country having ties with the United States or the Zionist regime – Israel – claiming he had proof that the United States was planning a coup in Iran.

He also said that month that missiles, and not negotiations, will be a part of Iran’s future relations with the outside world.

For his part, Abdullah thanked Khamenei for Iran’s support of the Palestinian resistance and congratulated the Iranian leader on the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, which was marked in February.

Khamenei and Abdullah last met two years ago, several months after the end of the 2014 Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip.

PIJ publicly thanked Iran for its support during those attacks.

Source: PNN