Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, is furious over attempts to normalize ties between Israel and Arab countries as a solution to the Middle East crisis, arguing that Palestinians should have the right to decide their own fate.

“Some people think that by forcing neighboring countries to normalize their ties (with Israel) the problem will be solved,” Khamenei said. “They are wrong.”

Khamenei’s remarks come amid reports that the US is preparing a security package to offer Saudi Arabia in exchange for normalizing relations with Israel. Saudi Arabia had previously been in talks with Israel but paused them when the war with Hamas broke out.

Iran, which does not recognize Israel, has long made support for the Palestinian cause a central tenet of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

“Palestine should be returned to them (Palestinians),” Khamenei insisted. “They should form their own regime, their own system, then that system should decide how to deal with the Zionists.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)