Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted Iran’s leaders during the country’s annual anti-Israel holiday.
Pompeo waded into a controversy that erupted this week after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s website put up an image calling for the end of Israel that included the phrase “final solution.” After backlash, Khamenei and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif claimed that the phrase wasn’t calling for death to Jews — just to Israel.
“Incredible that [Zarif] and Iran’s Supreme Leader are echoing Hitler’s call for genocide. This depravity should dispel any notion the regime belongs in the community of nations. We stand with Germany and Israel against this oldest & most vile form of hatred, and say #NeverAgain,” Pompeo tweeted Friday.
The post, which was later deleted, shows a Palestinian flag being raised over the al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Zarif defended the propaganda over Twitter, writing, “disgusting that those whose civilization found a ‘Final Solution” in gas chambers attack those who seek a real solution at the ballot box, through a REFERENDUM.”
Incredible that @JZarif and Iran’s Supreme Leader are echoing Hitler’s call for genocide. This depravity should dispel any notion the regime belongs in the community of nations. We stand with Germany and Israel against this oldest & most vile form of hatred, and say #NeverAgain pic.twitter.com/Ppx8Scb9xQ
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) May 22, 2020
Pompeo’s remarks come as Iran marks Quds Day, an Iranian holiday that calls for the end of Israel and expresses support for Palestinians.
In the lead-up to Quds Day, Khamenei flooded social media with inflammatory comments about Israel and on Friday said that Zionism is “a virus” that “must be eliminated as soon as possible.” The ayatollah also said Israel’s existence was the result of “Westerners and Jewish corporation owners.”
The European Union issued a statement on behalf of all 27 member states condemning Iran’s calls for Israel’s destruction and reiterated its “fundamental commitment” to Israel’s security.
“Such statements are totally unacceptable and represent a deep source of concern. They are also incompatible with the objective of a stable and peaceful Middle East region pursued by the EU,” the EU said.
The Iranian rhetoric comes as Israel and the Palestinian Authority are engaged in a high level of tension after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s newly formed government expressed intentions to annex parts of the West Bank. The Palestinians have said they are tossing out all agreements with the United States and Israel, and an official said Thursday that intelligence-sharing with the CIA has been stopped. The CIA declined to comment about the matter when contacted by the Washington Examiner on Thursday.
Pompeo has denied reports that the U.S. is working to sway Israel to hold off on the annexation and has said that annexation is “a decision that the Israelis will make.”
