
Khamenei's representative to Shafaq News: No retreat from supporting resistance factions
Iran will continue supporting armed 'resistance factions' in Iraq and across the region, Mujtaba al-Husseini, the representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatullah Ali Khamenei in Iraq, told Shafaq News on Wednesday.
Describing the groups' growing military strength as a source of fear for their adversaries, al-Husseini vowed that 'Iron Dome and Israeli weapons proved ineffective in the war with the Islamic Republic.'
According to al-Husseini, the influence of Islamic resistance movements has expanded across Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and beyond. This regional presence , he claimed, 'is the main reason behind US and Israeli efforts to target Iran.'
He also condemned the recent Israeli attack as 'treacherous,' noting that it came at a time when Washington was speaking of negotiations. 'They took us by surprise with war. Iran has to defend itself and support the resistance forces,' he remarked.
Al-Husseini also accused the United States of 'supporting over 20,000 institutions aimed at weakening religious identity.' These organizations, he alleged, operate under the guise of promoting freedom, democracy, and liberation, while 'working against the values of local populations.'
Earlier, Iranian Consul in Najaf Sayyed Saeed Al-Sayyedin told Shafaq News that Tehran no longer trusts US guarantees, referencing the 2018 American withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). 'Washington breached the nuclear agreement, and that's why Iran has no confidence in the United States,' he stated, rejecting any suggestion that Tehran initiated its current military confrontation with Israel. 'Iran did not start the war with Israel, nor did it seek to end it,' he asserted.
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On June 18, 2025, during the war between Israel and Iran, the Qatar-backed International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) posted on its website an article by a member of the union, Abderrazak Makri, in which he called on all Muslims to support Iran in this war despite its aggression against Sunnis in many Arab countries such as Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Makri explained that the war between Israel and Iran was 'fateful' not only for Iran but also for Palestine and the entire Islamic nation. He added that this 'blessed' war was a direct continuation of the Al-Aqsa Flood (i.e., Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel) and was sure to end in a victory for all the Muslims, no matter what losses Iran would sustain. Makri, an Algerian Islamist politician known for his ties with Hamas, stressed that all Muslims, both Sunnis and Shi'ites, must support Iran in the war, for this is a religious duty that supersedes any sectarian conflicts. Iran's crimes against the Sunnis in the Arab countries, he emphasized, should not prevent them from supporting it, for these are merely political crimes no different from the crimes of the 'tyrannical Sunni rulers.' He added that an Iranian victory in the war would be 'a defeat for the U.S. and its European allies, who are the cause of all our troubles.' This victory would help to create a multipolar world, which would facilitate the revival of the Islamic world, he argued. It should be noted that the IUMS, which is headquartered in Doha, is one of the tools of the Qatari regime to disseminate extremist anti-Western Islamist ideology, and routinely incites jihad, terrorism and antisemitism.[1] Abderrazak Makri with Hamas senior officials Khalil Al-Hayya, Isma'il Haniya, Hussam Badran and Muhammad Nazzal (Image: March 17, 2023) The following are translated excerpts from Makri's article:[2] '...Anyone who examines the unfolding of the Iranian-Zionist war in depth easily understands that it is fateful not only for the [Zionist] entity but also for Iran, Palestine, the entire Islamic nation and even the whole world. Some of the leaders of the resistance and of the Islamic stream know that I was not among those who were surprised by the Al-Aqsa Flood [i.e., Hamas' October 7, 2023 attack on Israel], since a week before it happened I already described it to them accurately and advocated for it, without naming it and without knowing what exactly would happen... I used to tell them that the [Islamic] nation and its reformist movements had already lost everything in their cultural project, that all the Palestinian issues were headed for perdition and that the revival movements were out of action… Therefore, [I said], there was need for a complete overhaul in order to rebuild the balances [of power]. This would only be achieved by means of an unprecedented resistance operation in Palestine that would thwart the plans to eliminate the [Palestinian] cause, mobilize the Arab and Islamic world, revive the project of cultural awakening, and undermine the oppressive American-Western hegemony… 'The Iranian-Zionist war is the result of the [Al-Aqsa] Flood and its repercussions, as are the events in Syria, the deep shifts taking place in global public opinion, and the political, ideological and social changes in the world, as well as the inconceivable steadfastness of the Gazan people and the remarkable heroic acts of the resistance. 'The Al-Aqsa Flood did not emerge as an ordinary war with the [Zionist] entity. It became a divine [war] that drives major events in Palestine, the region and the world toward the perdition of the [Zionist] entity and the revival of the Islamic nation. It is in this context that the war between Iran and the [Zionist] entity should be understood. This is a blessed war... that cannot end except in a victory for the Muslims – all Muslims, of all Islamic streams, regardless of the losses the Iranians may sustain... "There is no doubt Iran will suffer painful blows and sustain immense losses in the current war, from which it will not easily recover. However, it must thwart the objectives of the aggression, which are: halting its nuclear program, destroying its ballistic missiles, devastating the [Iranian] state and ultimately handing it over to the secular elites acting on behalf of the Americans and the Zionists. [These elites] will be even harsher toward the Arabs and Muslims and toward Palestine than the Arab regimes which have betrayed Allah, His Messenger and the believers, and which are participating in the siege on Gaza and in the conspiracy against the resistance. "Cooperation and mutual support among Muslims is a religious duty that no heretical sectarian inclinations can override. The Shi'ites in Iran are Muslims according to all religious scholars, and the extremist Shi'ites who have rebelled against the faith should be disregarded, [for] they are a minority, just like the minority of extremist Sunni apostates among us. The Iranian injustice and aggression that harmed our brothers in Syria, Iraq and Yemen are political crimes, similar to those that have been committed throughout history by all [Islamic] streams, and like those being committed in our modern era by tyrannical Sunni rulers. Both use religion and sectarianism for political purposes. "Although we understand the positions of those who were harmed by the [Iranian] aggression in Syria, Iraq and Yemen, and understand the need to lift their spirits and ensure their rights, the leaders and scholars of the [Islamic] nation must not dwell on these events in a way that will lead us to destroy one another from within while facing a [common] foe – an enemy that seeks to harm us all, regardless of stream, and aims to impose its sovereignty and will upon all of us and to eliminate our religion and our culture forever. "An Iranian victory in the current war, or at least its emergence from it unharmed, is a victory for Palestine that saves our brothers in Gaza from the immense injustice inflicted upon them and from the [Israeli] aggression whose barbarity has reached unprecedented heights. 'An Iranian victory is a defeat for the tyranny in our Arab and Islamic world that supports the [Zionist] entity and takes part in the siege on Gaza. "An Iranian victory is a defeat for the U.S. and its European allies, who are the cause of all our troubles. It will also facilitate the world's transition to multipolarity, which will grant us broader margins for the revival of our Islamic world…"


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