Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said some Muslim countries are being humiliated by arrogant western powers because of their departure from the teachings of the Qur'an, which calls for Muslim unity.
"Muslim countries have been plagued with the disease of indignity because of their failure to resort to the Qur'an," the Leader told participants of the 35th International Holy Qur'an Competition in Tehran on Thursday, his official website reported.
Ayatollah Khamenei's remarks were made in reference to US President Donald Trump who took aim at western allies in the Middle East on April 24, saying that they would crumble within "a week" without the United States so they should pay for American protection and deploy their own troops in war-torn Syria.
As French President Emmanuel Macron visited Washington, Trump said at a news conference, "Countries that are in the area, some of which are immensely wealthy, would not be there except for the United States and, to a lesser extent, France."
"They wouldn't last a week. We are protecting them. They have to now step up and pay for what is happening," he said, according to the Washington Post.
Backwardness
Ayatollah Khamenei said Trump's comments subjected certain Muslim countries to humiliation, which struggle with backwardness, because they have aligned themselves with the enemies of Islam, including the Zionist regime, instead of uniting against them.
"Such an approach has only caused suffering for regional nations, particularly in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said, stressing that Iran will continue to resist hostile powers.
"It has been 40 years since the Islamic Republic of Iran stood against the bullying of arrogant powers and has become more successful and powerful to the dismay of the enemies who were seeking to destroy it," he said, referring to the period since the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Wrong US Policies
Earlier, President Hassan Rouhani criticized Trump's remarks, saying that the region will not fall apart and will grow more prosperous.
Addressing the Americans, Rouhani said on Wednesday, "You say 'If you pay us money, we will stay in Syria; if you don't, we will leave Syria.' You say, 'If it was not for us, you would cease to exist in a matter of a week'. Why would they?
"We are protecting Iraq. The Iraqi nation is protecting Iraq. We are prepared to protect Saudi Arabia and the Saudi nation is protecting Saudi Arabia. We are ready to help the region. Why would the region be destroyed without you? Rather if you leave forever, security will be fully restored to the region."
Speaking in the northwestern city of Tabriz, Rouhani said, "Wrong US policies have undermined security in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen and other parts of the Middle East," Fars News Agency reported.
