In a Friday sermon in Tehran, Assembly of Experts Member Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said of Ibrahim Zakzaky, a Shi'ite cleric who is in prison in Nigeria: " The catastrophe that Zakzaky is going through is the handiwork of the Saudi and Zionist regimes." The sermon aired on Channel 1 (Iran) on July 26, 2019,
Ayatollah Khatami: "The news agencies have reported that the [Shi'ite] mujahid and scholar Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, the leader of the Muslims in Nigeria, is in critical physical condition. He is being held prisoner by the army. They killed his children. His surviving children and his wife are under siege by the police. From here, I would like to send a message to the government of Nigeria. Everybody knows that the catastrophe that Zakzaky is going through is the handiwork of the Saudi and Zionist regimes. Do not go down a well hanging by their worn-out rope, because you yourselves will fall into that well!"
Audience: "Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Allah Akbar! Khamenei is the Leader! Death to those who oppose the Rule of the Jurisprudent! Death to America! Death to England! Death to the hypocrites and the infidels! Death to Israel!"
Ayatollah Khatami: "The second point is that now that Islamic Iran has opened its arms, and now that it has said that it is willing to accept your patient and treat him, you should say 'yes' to this philanthropic call. Know that if anything happens to this mujahid leader of the Muslims, you will be at the head of [those responsible] for this crime."