Khamenei says Iran's strikes at U.S. targets show 'hand of God'

[snoop1130]

Khamenei says Iran's strikes at U.S. targets show 'hand of God'

By Parisa Hafezi

 

FILE PHOTO: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during Friday prayers in Tehran September 14, 2007. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl

 

DUBAI (Reuters) - Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a Friday prayers sermon that Iran’s missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq showed it had divine support in delivering a “slap on the face” to a world power.

 

Making the main weekly sermon in Tehran for the first time since 2012, with Iran and its clerical rulers under pressure at home and abroad, Khamenei also said that U.S. sanctions imposed in a row over its nuclear programme would not make Iran yield.

 

Thousands had gathered inside a large prayer hall in central Tehran and packed the area and streets outside the building, chanting “Death to America”.

 

The sermon was delivered after Iran’s rulers faced days of often violent protests after the military admitted to mistakenly shooting down an airliner in the tense hours after the missile strikes, which were in turn launched in retaliation for the U.S. killing on Jan. 3 of a top Iranian commander, close to Khamenei.

 

“The fact that Iran has the power to give such a slap to a world power shows the hand of God,” Khamenei, saying the U.S. killing of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, showed Washington’s “terrorist nature”.

 

U.S. President Donald Trump, who pulled Washington out of a nuclear deal with Iran in 2018 and ratcheted up tension by reimposing U.S. sanctions, had ordered the drone strike that killed Soleimani, who built up proxy militias across the region.

 

After days of denying a role in the plane crash, the Revolutionary Guards, a parallel military force answering directly to Khamenei that acts as guardian of Islamic Republic, finally admitted on Jan. 11 that one of its air defence operators mistakenly shot down Ukraine Airlines International flight 752.

 

Vigils for the 176 victims swiftly turned into protests against Iran’s rulers. “Death to Khamenei” was chanted at protests and spray painted on walls of Tehran and other cities. Such public criticism can result in a jail term in Iran.

 

Khamenei described the crash as a tragedy and a very sad incident that was used by Iran’s “enemies”, used to describe the United States and its allies, to overshadow the killing of Soleimani, whose funeral drew huge crowds onto the streets.

 

In the demonstrations after the downing of the airliner, police launched a sometimes crackdown and deployed riot police outside universities, where many students had protested.

 

Video footage posted online showed protesters were beaten and also recorded gunshots, teargas and blood on the streets.

 

Iran’s police denied firing at protesters and said officers had been ordered to show restraint.

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-01-17

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[canuckamuck]

The hand of God was just a little off when it took out the jetliner though.

[TopDeadSenter]

Hardly surprising to see this austere scholar milking it for all it's worth after being praised and glorified by left leaning media in the UK and USA. He would be a fool not to, although many people might be left wondering what the heck he is on about after missing all targets apart from a civilian airliner. 

[sirineou]

3 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Hardly surprising to see this austere scholar milking it for all it's worth after being praised and glorified by left leaning media in the UK and USA. He would be a fool not to, although many people might be left wondering what the heck he is on about after missing all targets apart from a civilian airliner. 

A links to this "left leaning media" glorifying this "austere scholar" ? 

[Just1Voice]

Shoot down an American plane, fool. Then you really might see the *Hand of God*. lol 

[canuckamuck]

One of these days, when America has finally manufactured enough consent, the hand of god is scheduled to arrive in Iran.

[Tug]

56 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Hardly surprising to see this austere scholar milking it for all it's worth after being praised and glorified by left leaning media in the UK and USA. He would be a fool not to, although many people might be left wondering what the heck he is on about after missing all targets apart from a civilian airliner. 

Praised and glorified???on what planet did you hear that bs??i just hope it all blows over so no more new wars

[pkspeaker]

55 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

Shoot down an American plane, fool. Then you really might see the *Hand of God*. lol 

that would be terrorism, the iranians do not need to do that, they can just blowup and american airbase.. terrorism is for weak countries..like ones who assasinate top generals at the airport visiting after legally entering the country.

[metisdead]

A troll post has been removed.

 

An insulting post has been removed. 

[Lacessit]

Quite amazing how every nation believes God is on their side. He/she must get terribly confused deciding who to support.

[Nyezhov]

1 hour ago, Lacessit said:

Quite amazing how every nation believes God is on their side. He/she must get terribly confused deciding who to support.

You are right, I have been trying to decide for along time. But I have been real busy on Epsilon Canae IV, the Frgn'zkr hordes have been annoying their neighbors. Ill decide once I get that mess fixed, give me a few light seconds.

[Scott]

Troll posts and replies removed.  

 

[candide]

9 hours ago, sirineou said:

A links to this "left leaning media" glorifying this "austere scholar" ? 

You will never get any. However, it will not stop him from making the same ridiculous statement in his next post.

[pkspeaker]

9 hours ago, canuckamuck said:

One of these days, when America has finally manufactured enough consent, the hand of god is scheduled to arrive in Iran.

That's not the problem, Trump already had consent to attack iran, I seen polls, problem is while the americans have spent the last 20 years uparmouring jeeps and making sure they have a nice powerful aircon and stereo system, the iranians were developing ballistic missiles with precision accuracy.

[canuckamuck]

14 minutes ago, pkspeaker said:

That's not the problem, Trump already had consent to attack iran, I seen polls, problem is while the americans have spent the last 20 years uparmouring jeeps and making sure they have a nice powerful aircon and stereo system, the iranians were developing ballistic missiles with precision accuracy.

 Not an easy fight, that's for sure. The war machine's biggest worry is protecting Israel. You can be sure that Iran will be pointing those missiles west.

[Lacessit]

7 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

You are right, I have been trying to decide for along time. But I have been real busy on Epsilon Canae IV, the Frgn'zkr hordes have been annoying their neighbors. Ill decide once I get that mess fixed, give me a few light seconds.

I suppose a god with clogged arteries and stents is as plausible as any other.

[mike787]

Uh ok!  Hand of god is indiscriminate by also destroying a 737.   Sounds like a wild card.  Not good.  need to keep that god on a lease mate!

[ezzra]

A zealous mullha does what a mullha suppose to to do, invoke the name of god in every sentence, it's not his will, it's god will, if you take out the ruling mullahs, god, religion and the references to islam of the Iranian people, you will have 81 million bewildered and lost people, (and maybe relieved) not knowing what to do now that god is not there to run their lives, that's how much they were made to center every bit of their lives around those factors...

[TopDeadSenter]

12 hours ago, pkspeaker said:

terrorism is for weak countries..like ones who assasinate top generals at the airport visiting after legally entering the country.

Well if the media can describe the Ukrainian plane that got shot down as a "plane crash" and they did, then revered top general Suleimani died in a "car crash".

[klauskunkel]

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Khamenei says Iran's strikes at U.S. targets show 'hand of God'

You sure about that? Took the fingerprints?

[transam]

Strange their "The Hand of God" didn't take out any infidels....????

 

But their "The Hand of God" did take out many innocent folk from the sky.

 

To me their "The Hand of God" has sent Iran a severe message, 

 

"You are on the wrong tack".................????‍♂️ 

[Mansell]

What drivel these religious nuts come up with.....The Hand of God.

That should be painted on the drone that hits this moron.

And all the nitwits chanting Death to America would stand in line for days to get a visa to America......555.

Back in the days when many Americans and others were kidnapped  and held in Beirut, some of the guys being held reported that some of their guards asked if they would help them to get to America after they were released.....a bit of a reality disconnect there.

[dunrudin]

As I recall, the last time an airliner was shot down, was an Iranian airliner, shot down in 1988 by a missile from the USS Vincennes, operating within Iran's territorial waters.

 

Edited January 18, 2020 by dunrudin
grammar

[skytrooper70]

God must be very confused. S/He "let" the US drones kill Soleimani and "let" the Iranian missiles shoot down a civilian airliner, killing 176 innocents but, somehow, this same "hand" only found time to guide Iranian missiles onto an Iraqi base, just over the border, destroying only buildings. God's priorities seem a bit misplaced.

[Emdog]

Where was God's hand (tm) preventing Americans from invading Iraq in the first place?

Was God's hand helping Iran's adversary Saudi Arabia when it's children flew those jets into the Twin Towers?

[jany123]

16 hours ago, Lacessit said:

Quite amazing how every nation believes God is on their side. He/she must get terribly confused deciding who to support.

Which is why Odin and his crowd are the logical deities to worship. We are here for their amusement, and I’m sure that they are popping corn as we speak

[jany123]

8 hours ago, pkspeaker said:

That's not the problem, Trump already had consent to attack iran, I seen polls, problem is while the americans have spent the last 20 years uparmouring jeeps and making sure they have a nice powerful aircon and stereo system, the iranians were developing ballistic missiles with precision accuracy.

Polls? Which polls? It’s not that I don’t believe you....  but a sauce would be nice to augment that offering.

[Nyezhov]

2 hours ago, dunrudin said:

As I recall, the last time an airliner was shot down, was an Iranian airliner, shot down in 1988 by a missile from the USS Vincennes, operating within Iran's territorial waters.

 

Actually, there have been several airline shootdowns since then by Russians or some such countries, and correct me if I'm wrong, the only country that's ever paid compensation  for one of those incidents is the US.

 

and I think the factual circumstances were a lot different but don't let the facts get in the way of anti-American diatribes.

 

I suggest that some of you pumping your chest about how tough Iran is do a little research on Google. Obsolete and poorly-maintained Russian air defenses, and air Force with obsolete planes lacking spare parts and combat experienced pilots, a Navy that consists of armed launches equivalent to Somali pirates, a bunch of soldiers who have never fought a real enemy and we'll break and run the minute the bombs start, an old and tired electrical grid, an aging energy infrastructure, a pathetic economy and an inability to feed itself and a population that hates the government. I have said this before and I will say it again, there will be no war with Iran. The mullahs might be suicidal, but their country isnt, and it probably wouldn't take us more than 48 hours to completely obliterate their military with minimal civilian casualties. but whatever, I'm hungover, and I'm sick and tired of fighting and war and politics so as soon as I wake up from my nap, I'm going to go find a topic about anime. You can find all the information you need to quarrel with my evaluation by using Google maps and public information as to their military bases.

 

[khunken]

Diego Maradona should sue the Ayatolla for plagiarism.

????

[Lacessit]

5 hours ago, Nyezhov said:

and hungover this morning to boot. Any galactic emergencies that happened when I was passed out behind the cosmic dumpster?

 

 

 

 

Well, my back was still twinging, so I couldn't play golf. Perhaps some divine intervention to rectify my back so my GF and I can get it on? She's like my car, she runs better with regular servicing. IMO that's an emergency. No, you may not act as a proxy.