One of the highlights of the meeting between the Emir of Qatar and the Supreme Leader of the Islamic revolution on January 12, 2020, was Imam Khamenei's assertion that the "undesirable situation in the region" was due to "US corruption." In the following report, Khamenei.ir discusses Imam Khamenei's position on this issue and the need for the US troops to leave West Asia, focusing on his international meetings:
The issue of the corruptive presence of the US in West Asia and the need to terminate it was also mentioned by the Supreme Leader in his meeting with the people of Qom on January 8, where he emphasized the "end of the US forces’ presence in the region" to be the solution to this problem. "The presence of the US in the region – which leads to corruption - will come to an end, and such military moves will not suffice. They have started wars in this region. They have brought about discord, sedition and destruction. They have caused infrastructures to be destroyed… This region does not accept the US presence in regional countries. Regional nations and popular governments in the region will undoubtedly not accept this either." [Jan. 8, 2020]
Over the past year, the issue of the corruptive presence of Americans in the West Asian region has been one of the issues emphasized by Imam Khamenei in his diplomatic and international meetings. In a meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister in the spring of 2019, the Supreme Leader referred to the events in Iraq and said that the US government fundamentally considers democracy in Iraq and its independence to be detrimental to US interests. He stated,
"The U.S. officials - contrary to their verbal remarks - consider democracy and the current assembly of political activists in Iraq to be detrimental to themselves… The U.S. officials and their cohorts in the region are against the current democratic system in Iraq as well as its officials and leaders, and they regard them as being harmful to their own interests." [Apr. 6, 2019] Therefore, he spoke about the issue of American forces leaving Iraq, "The Iraqi government should take action for U.S. troops to leave Iraq as soon as possible." [Apr. 6, 2019]
The Supreme Leader, in a meeting with the guests of the Conference on Islamic Unity, also referred to the negative side-effects of the US presence in the region and stated that the Americans bring insecurity, villainy and corruption, "The US presence has brought nothing but villainy and corruption. As soon as they set foot in this region, they brought villainy and corruption with them. In whichever area they set foot, they bring about insecurity and internal wars or they do things like creating the DAESH." [Nov. 15, 2019] He also introduced infiltration and creating discord as the "main weapons of the US"
"The main weapon the US uses in the region is infiltration into sensitive, decision-making centers. They create discord, undermine the national determination of nations, create a lack of trust within nations and between people and governments, influence decision makers’ calculations and act as if the solution to problems is to stand under the flag of the US, to accept its words, to surrender to it and to do whatever it says." [Nov. 15, 2019]
Basically, emphasizing discords created by the Americans between nations and Islamic countries has been one of the key points stressed by the Supreme Leader in his diplomatic meetings. Specifically, in a meeting with a group of Iranian officials and ambassadors from Islamic countries, he stated, "Whenever English policies in the past – and American policies today – infiltrated and entered Islamic countries, such cases of sedition showed up. They create discord, hatred and hostility both between Islamic countries and inside a country." [June 5, 2019] Furthermore, in the meeting with the Prime Minister of Armenia, he emphasized the "unreliability of the Americans" and said, "The U.S. is completely unreliable and always tries to cause sedition, corruption, conflict and war. They are against the relations between Iran and Armenia, and they oppose the interests of nations." [Feb. 27, 2019]
In a meeting with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, Imam Khamenei pointed to the defeat of the U.S. in West Asia, "The Americans wanted to use the situation in Arab countries at that time to their advantage and compensate for the blow they suffered in Egypt and Tunisia by removing the Syrian government that supports the resistance. However, they have now been completely defeated." [Sep. 7, 2018] Based on this, he stated the possibility of "harnessing the US," "The U.S. poses a threat to humanity, but it is possible to harness it." [Sep. 7, 2018] This issue was also emphasized by the Supreme Leader during his meeting with the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "Closeness and cooperation between Islamic countries will surely pave the way for resolving the problems of our region. As a result, the Front of Arrogance, with the U.S. leading it, is troubled by cooperation and friendly relations between Islamic countries and the formation of an Islamic power." [Sep. 7, 2018] Also, in the meeting with the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, he also stated that the continuous, strategic relations between Iran and Syria have hindered the implementation of US plans.
In a general summary, it can be seen that the strategic policy emphasized and pursued by the Supreme Leader can be seen to be "the expulsion of the US" from "West Asia." This is a policy the necessity of which is rooted in the national interests of Iran and other countries and nations in the region. In the eyes of Imam Khamenei, the presence and interventions of the Americans in West Asia is the cause of crises, destabilization, insecurity and conflicts, and this state of affairs can be terminated through the mutual cooperation of the nations and governments of this region. These days, the important, crucial developments resulting from the terrorist act of the US government in assassinating General Haj Qasem Soleimani is an important step in accelerating and increasing the development, awakening and integration of nations. This is a development that can mark a historic and fundamental victory for nations and a major blow to the Domineering Powers and the U.S.
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