On October 24, 2024, Iranian religious scholar Masoud Aali stated in a speech aired on IRINN TV (Iran) that the Jews and the polytheists are the “most obstinate enemies” of the believers. He claimed that they view only Jews as humans, regarding others as slaves. Aali argued that Zionism has exported this Jewish philosophy worldwide and that conquering Israel is key to overcoming the West, and this is the reason for Western support of Israel. He said that Khomeini viewed the destruction of Israel as a religious idea and strategy. This speech was delivered at a memorial for martyrs of the resistance in Semnan.
Masoud Aali: "The most obstinate enemy of the believers are the Jews and the polytheists. [The Quran] mentions the Jews first. The racist Jewish nation considers only themselves to be humans, and see everybody else their slaves.
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"Today, the racist Jews have exported their philosophy via Zionism to the world.
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"Israel is not an ordinary country or government. It is the fortress of Khaybar for the West. If you manage to conquer it, you can conquer the West. Israel is the executive arm of Western hegemony. If you cut off this arm, Western hegemony will collapse. This is why [the Westerners] are standing behind [Israel] with tooth and nail.
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"From the beginning of the Revolution, our Imam [Khomeini] presented the destruction of Israel as a religious idea and strategy, and not as a political idea.
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"He knew that Israel has to be annihilated for [the Hidden Imam] to appear. He knew that the Western hegemony was meant to collapse. He knew that the West is the backbone of Israel. If this arm [Israel] is cut off, the West will be shaken."