Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the US announcement to recognize Quds as the capital of the Israeli regime reveals the desperation of Washington and Tel Aviv in the face of Islamic resistance.
The move "by Islam's foes to declare Quds as the capital of the Zionist regime was out of incompetence and desperation," Ayatollah Khamenei was also quoted as saying by his official website.
"The Muslim world will definitely stand against this plot, Israel will suffer another major blow and ultimately Palestine will undoubtedly be liberated," he said.
The Leader was speaking in a Wednesday meeting attended by the heads of the three branches of government and ambassadors of Muslim countries and other participants in the 31st International Islamic Unity Conference.
Ayatollah Khamenei cited US officials who have publicly advocated Washington's pro-Zionist policy in the Middle East.
"Some American politicians have acknowledged, knowingly or unknowingly, that there is the need to wage war and conflicts in West Asia to ensure the security of the Zionist regime and inhibit the development of the Muslim world," he said.
In another controversial decision that marks a policy break, US President Donald Trump was to announce in a White House speech on Wednesday that the United States recognizes Quds as the capital of the Israeli Zionist regime and will move its embassy there.
Trump’s decision will mark a shift in decades of American policy that has regarded the status of Quds as part of a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians, who want East Quds as their capital.
Washington’s allies in the region have warned about the dangerous consequences of his decision.
Hundreds of Sunni and Shia scholars and intellectuals from more than 90 countries are attending the two-day Islamic conference themed "Unity and Requirements of the Modern Islamic Civilization", which kicked off in Tehran on Tuesday.
*** Bitter Development
Addressing the opening ceremony of the conference on Tuesday, President Hassan Rouhani blasted certain regional and Muslim countries for having no qualms in disclosing their relations with the occupying regime of Israel.
Rouhani said some regional states and Muslim countries shamelessly confirm their close ties with Israel, calling it a “bitter” development for the Muslim world, Press TV reported.
“In the past, if some countries covertly held talks and cooperated with the enemies of the region, they would deny it,” Rouhani said.
“Such relations were so ominous and detestable that no head of state could count Israel as a friend and the resistance [front] as an enemy to the region.”
In recent months, numerous reports have emerged wherein Israel and Saudi Arabia have openly acknowledged their growing ties. The two sides have no diplomatic relations, but were known to be collaborating secretly until now.
