Khamenei calls for united student front against Israel, US

Iranian leader also vows his soldiers will never coordinate with American troops in Syria

Times of Israel

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday urged Muslim students around the world to unite in opposition against the US and Israel, and vowed never to coordinate with the American military on the Syrian battlefield.

Tweeting from his English-language account, the Iranian leader “advised” Muslim student organizations to form a “united anti-American & anti-Zionism front.”

Khamenei also urged Muslim students to “launch campaigns in cyber space to oppose US & Zionist regime policies.”

In separate remarks published on his website on Sunday, the supreme leader said Iran would never coordinate with the United States in Syria and other regional conflicts.

“We don’t want such a coordination, as their main objective is to stop Iran’s presence in the region,” Khamenei said in a transcript from a speech to university students.

Iran and Russia support Syrian President Bashar Assad’s fight against armed rebels and jihadists, including those of the Islamic State.

Tehran rejects any coordination with the US-led coalition that is also bombing the jihadists in Syria and Iraq.

Khamenei repeated demands for the US to stop interfering in the region and said Washington was still acting aggressively despite the nuclear accord Tehran signed with world powers to end its isolation.

“Americans are still engaged in hostility against the nation of Iran, be it the Congress or the US administration,” he said.

Iran complains it has not benefited from the nuclear deal since it came into force in January, with international banks still fearful of doing business with it due to remaining US sanctions.

“Those who believe in looking to the West for the progress of the country have lost their minds because wisdom tells us to learn from experience,” Khamenei said.

On Friday, an aide to Khamenei predicted that the United States would “disintegrate” within the next quarter-century.