Iran's supreme leader breaks silence on US election
In his first public speech on the US presidential election, Iran’s supreme leader said victory by a Democratic or a Republican candidate will not trigger any change of policy in Tehran.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defended his country’s overall stance toward the United States as a “calculated” policy that will not change based on “who enters or leaves” the Oval Office. While admitting that “things may happen” under certain US presidents, Khamenei said, “This does not concern the Islamic Republic.”
The Iranian supreme leader made the televised comments on the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the former US Embassy in Tehran that lead to a hostage crisis lasting for 444 days. The episode prompted Washington to cut off its diplomatic ties with Tehran and triggered a cycle of hostilities between the two governments that has only worsened during President Donald Trump’s term in office.
