‘Reagan was smarter than you, and he lost!’ Iran’s leader slams Trump, praises Black Lives Matter
In a televised broadside, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed to “disappoint America in all arenas,” and unfavorably compared Donald Trump to predecessor Ronald Reagan.
“Reagan was more powerful and smarter than Trump, and he was a better actor in making threats, and he also moved against us and they shot down our plane,” said Khamenei in Wednesday’s speech, referring to the gunning down of an Iran Air passenger jet carrying 290 people on-board in 1988, which the US has always insisted was an accident.
“But Reagan is gone and, according to our beliefs, he now faces God’s retribution, while Iran has made great advances in all areas since Reagan’s time. This trend will continue under the current American president and any hopes on their part that the Islamic Republic would back off or weaken is futile.”
Khamenei, 78, was the President of Iran for almost the entirety of Reagan’s two terms, before ascending to his current position as the Islamic Republic’s head of state in 1989.
Reagan was both wiser and more powerful than Trump. They took measures against Iran: they shot down one of our passenger aircrafts. But where is Reagan, and how powerful is the Islamic Republic now?
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) 27 December 2017
The Supreme Leader, a summary of whose remarks was posted to his English-language Twitter account, also attacked Washington’s international and domestic policies.
“U.S. govt spends a tremendous amount of money on sowing discord among people, and takes up the wealth of rich rulers in the region. By God’s Grace— they should know— we will progress powerfully. By God’s will, we will disappoint U.S. on all arenas,” tweeted Khamenei.
Our main enemy—the U.S. regime—leads the most corrupt and oppressive govt. According to news we’ve received, they’re still supporting ISIS and the like. They support the Saudi tyrannical ruling family in their crimes against #Yemen, & support Zionist atrocities in #Palestine.
— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) 27 December 2017
In a related message, the Supreme Leader accused the US of “supporting ISIS,” backing Saudi Arabia’s “tyrannical ruling family” and helping perpetrate “Zionist atrocities in Palestine.”
“The U.S. gov. commits oppression inside the U.S., too. U.S. police murder black women, men, & children for no justifiable reason, and the murderers are acquitted in U.S. courts. This is their judicial system! And they slam other countries’ and our country’s judicial system,” added Khamenei, ending the post with the hashtag #BLM – Black Lives Matter – to signal Iran’s support for the grassroots minority rights movement.
READ MORE: US is #1 enemy, Iran will never yield to it – Khamenei
After a period of reconciliation under President Barack Obama, and the relatively moderate Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, relations between Tehran and Washington thawed, culminating in the nuclear deal signed in 2015, which eased sanctions against the country in exchange for restrictions on its atomic program. Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized the agreement, and vowed to reverse it, while also painting Tehran as America’s greatest adversary in the region.
