Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Khamenei emphasized the end of US "corrupting presence" in the Middle East in a live TV.
Khamanei visited Qom, one of the main religious centers in Iran, for commemorating Qom uprising against the Shah regime in Iran on 9 January 1978. In his visit, Khamanei addressed in a live TV on Wednesday.
He praised killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani for his service to blocking expansion of US in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
“The US plots for Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon were all foiled by this great martyr. The US wanted for Iraq to be nothing more than dairy cattle, but Hajj Qasem helped this expansive front [against the US].”
Khamanei stressed that military operations are not enough it needs to end US presence in the region
“What is important in addition to retaliation is that military operations do not suffice. It is important to end the US corrupting presence in the region,” he said to chants of "Death to America" by an audience in Tehran.
He also views Iran missile attack on US airbases in Iraq as a "slap".