Khamenei backs 'Death to America' chants, says US fully supports Israel
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Saturday endorsed chants of “Death to America” from his supporters, saying the United States is fully backing Israel’s actions in Gaza and that Muslim nations must resist both.
“Your judgment is right,” Khamenei told the crowd after they chanted the slogan during a speech to workers in Tehran. “Americans support Israel’s crimes.”
“Americans fully support Israel — in the true sense of the word,” he added. “In the world of politics, things may be said that suggest otherwise, but that is not the reality.”
He also warned of efforts to shift global focus away from the war. “They use rumors and meaningless issues to distract minds from Palestine. Minds must not be diverted,” he said.
Khamenei called on Muslim nations to stand against both Israel and its Western allies. “Muslim nations must stand against Israel and its supporters,” he said. He concluded by expressing confidence in Israel’s defeat. “
I believe Palestine will be victorious over Israel,” he said.
Iranian drones have fueled Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine as the two powers have drawn closer but the Islamic Republic's leaders were absent from the 80th anniversary Victory Day military parade in Moscow, drawing some criticism in Tehran.
Iran’s Islamic Republic newspaper on Saturday questioned the absence despite Tehran’s growing alignment with Moscow and ongoing coordination on nuclear talks with the United States.
“Despite Putin’s boasts of friendship with Iran, Iran was missing from the ceremony where he thanked North Korean soldiers for supporting Russia in the war against Ukraine,” the paper wrote, referring to the Friday parade in Moscow marking the Soviet and allied victory over Nazi Germany.
More than two dozen world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korea’s top military officials, attended the event alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian did not attend, and no high-level Iranian delegation was publicly present. In February, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Kazem Jalali, told TASS he would attend the event in his diplomatic capacity, but said participation by senior Iranian officials was still under discussion.
Iranian-made drones
The parade, one of Russia’s most politically symbolic events, featured a display of drones used in Ukraine, including the Geran-2 — a loitering munition based on Iranian designs. Their inclusion underscored growing military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran, even as Iran denies supplying drones for battlefield use.
The absence of senior Iranian officials drew attention in Tehran, where Russia is regarded as a strategic partner and a channel for backdoor diplomacy. Both Iranian and US officials have been in contact with Russian intermediaries in recent weeks as indirect nuclear talks continue.
The Kremlin has also positioned itself as a go-between, with Moscow agreeing to help the US communicate with Iran on its nuclear program and regional activities, according to a Bloomberg report in March, later confirmed by the Kremlin.
Despite this, some Iranian officials and analysts are voicing concern. Former Iranian ambassador to Russia Nematollah Izadi warned that Russia “cannot be an impartial mediator,” citing its own geopolitical stakes in US–Iran tensions.
“They are eager to mediate, but whether they can do so effectively is doubtful,” he told ILNA news agency in March. “They have their own interests. If Iran fails to maintain balance, all its foreign policy eggs will end up in Russia’s basket—and most likely China’s as well.”
Russia and Iran recently signed a strategic cooperation agreement covering defense, energy, and trade. Yet, the Islamic Republic paper warned that appearances like Iran’s absence at the Victory Day parade risk making the partnership appear one-sided.
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Iranian daily Farhikhtegan reported Saturday that Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi’s trip to Riyadh includes delivering a response to a letter from Saudi King Salman, citing informed sources.
“One of the key points of Araghchi’s visit to Saudi Arabia is delivering a reply to the letter sent by King Salman,” the paper wrote.
In April, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman visited Tehran and delivered a letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, according to Iranian state media.
Iran’s ultra-hardline Kayhan newspaper, managed by a representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, warned Saturday that Tehran should not be deceived by US President Donald Trump’s apparent diplomatic overtures, including his calls for negotiations or signs of retreat.
“Trump is not a temporary phenomenon but a mindset rooted in narcissism, delusions of superiority, and threat-based tactics,” Kayhan wrote in an editorial. “He seeks to keep the world in a constant state of fear and uncertainty.”
The editorial argued that Trump’s behavior—friendly or hostile—should be seen as tactical rather than sincere. “Do not be fooled by smiles, talk of negotiation, or gestures of retreat,” the paper said. “Both Trump’s friendship and enmity are tools of deception, not indicators of real boundaries.”
Kayhan also dismissed reports of a rift between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over Iran, calling such narratives a “deception operation” meant to justify continued talks. “Trump’s posture is dangerous, but it reflects deeper US power structures—not just personal choices,” the paper added.
Former Iranian lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh said US President Donald Trump is steering nuclear talks with Iran away from Israeli involvement, pursuing what he called a “fully American” framework, Iranian news agency ILNA reported Saturday.
“In the past, Obama and even Biden kept Israel informed during talks. Now, Trump is pursuing a mechanism that is entirely American,” said Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, former chair of Iran’s parliamentary national security committee.
He said Trump’s focus appears to be economic, not military. “His priority is new investments and mutual ties, from his private businesses to US national interests,” Falahatpisheh added.
