Destruction of Israel in Iranian policy

Quds Day celebrated in Tehran in 2016

The destruction of Israel is a common theme in the policy of Iran.[1] This position emerged from the 1979 Iranian Revolution, which transformed Iran's view of Israel, from a close partner under the Pahlavi monarchy to a principal ideological adversary.[2] Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, denounced Israel as an illegitimate "Zionist regime" and cut off diplomatic relations. Since then, this stance has been embedded in official rhetoric, military programs, state-sponsored education, and symbolic events such as Quds Day.

The rejection of Israel's legitimacy has remained consistent across both hardline and moderate Iranian leaderships. Supreme Leaders Ruhollah Khomeini and Ali Khamenei have both repeatedly referred to Israel as a "cancerous tumor" and publicly called for its elimination. Reformist leaders and moderate clerics have also supported this stance.

The office of the Supreme Leader and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) supports operational activities largely carried out by non-state actors, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories, and other allied groups. Iranian support for such allies, collectively referred to as the Axis of Resistance, includes funding, weapons, and training. Additionally, statements by senior officials and the regime's hostility toward Israel have led many observers[which?] to view Iran's nuclear ambitions as part of a broader strategy to destroy Israel.

Leadership

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Once strategic partners, Iran and Israel's relationship ended after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. According to Efraim Karsh, the Islamic Republic subsequently cut ties with Israel and positioned it as a central ideological adversary.[3] Since that time, Iran has declared the elimination of Israel as a central objective within the region.[4] Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Republic's founding Supreme Leader, branded Israel the "Small Satan", a counterpart to the United States as "Great Satan".[3] Iranian leaders across generations, from Khomeini and his successor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to senior officials, military commanders, and state-aligned media, have consistently invoked rhetoric calling for Israel's elimination or forecasting its collapse.[3]

Supreme leaders

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Further information: Israel won't exist in 25 years

Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini referred to Israel multiple times as a "cancerous tumor" and a "cancerous gland."[5] Khomeini said it was "an obligation" to provide financial support to the Palestinian mujahideen "in order to abolish the infidel Zionists, who are the enemies of humanity."[6]

Supreme leader Ali Khamenei described Israel as a "malignant cancerous tumor" that must "be removed and eradicated"

In 2013, Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, called Israel "an illegitimate regime" led by "untouchable rabid dogs" and "doomed to failure and annihilation."[7] In 2015, he said there would be "no Zionist regime in 25 years" and that "during this period, the spirit of fighting, heroism and jihad will keep [Israel] worried every moment."[8] Khamenei referred to Israel as "cancerous" on numerous occasions, has said Israel will be destroyed, and has pledged Iran's support for any group or nation confronting it.[9]

On October 3, 2023, four days before the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel, Khamenei delivered a speech in Tehran in which he said Israel would "die of [its] rage", and concluded by saying: "This cancer will definitely be eradicated, God willing, at the hands of the Palestinian people and the resistance forces throughout the region."[2] In 2024, Ali Khamenei told Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh: "The divine promise to eliminate the Zionist entity will be fulfilled and we will see the day when Palestine will rise from the river to the sea."[10]

Presidents

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Further information: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Israel
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be "erased from the face of the earth"

Former President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said that the detonation of a single nuclear weapon inside Israel "will annihilate the entire country" (hame-ye Esra'il ra nabud khahad kard).[11] In 2006, at the World Without Zionism conference, then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad invoked a quote from Ayatollah Khomeini calling for Israel to be "erased from the face of the earth" (mahv-e Esra'il az safhe-ye ruzegar).[12] He also declared the Holocaust a myth that Israel considers "above God, religion and the prophets."[13] In 2007, he said that Iran would "witness the destruction of this regime in the near future."[14]

During the 2018 annual Islamic Unity Conference, ex-President Hassan Rouhani, called Israel a "cancerous tumor" and a "fake regime" created by Western powers to serve their interests in the Middle East.[15] In 2023, then-President Ebrahim Raisi said he hoped God would "liberate Palestine as soon as possible" and that Iran could "witness the final moments of Israel's existence and celebrate its end."[16]

Military commanders

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In 2013, Hojatoleslam Ali Shirazi, representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said: "The Zionist regime will soon be destroyed, and this generation will be witness to its destruction."[17] In 2014, Hossein Salami, then deputy commander of the IRGC, issued a series of aggressive statements against Israel. He threatened direct retaliation "for every drop of blood of our martyrs in Palestine, and this is the beginning point of Islamic nations awakening for your defeat."[17] In another, he said "the Zionist regime is slowly being erased from the world", and predicted that "soon, there will be no such thing as the Zionist regime on Planet Earth."[17]

In 2014, Hossein Sheikholeslam, then secretary-general of Iran's Committee for Support for the Palestinian Intifada, stated that "the issue of Israel's destruction is important, no matter the method" and warned that "the region will not be quiet so long as Israel exists in it."[17] Following the Hamas-led October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deputy commander-in-chief, Ali Fadavi, said that "the resistance front's shocks against the Zionist regime will continue until this 'cancerous tumor' is eradicated from the world map."[18]

Clerics

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In 2013, Ahmad Alamolhoda, a prominent Iranian cleric and member of the Assembly of Experts, said the destruction of Israel was "one of the pillars of the Iranian Islamic regime" and said: "We cannot claim that we have no intention of going to war with Israel."[17] Ayatollah Hussein-Ali Montazeri, once designated as Khomeini’s successor and later a supporter of the reform movement, recalled telling a delegation of reformist parliamentarians that, according to Quran 7, the Jews of Zionism (yahudiyan-e sahyonizm) would be afflicted with torment and misery until the Day of Resurrection.[19] He also cited a 17th-century hadith from Biḥār al-Anwār in which Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq is reported to have said three times that those who would ultimately exterminate the Jews (kasani keh nehayatan yahud ra monqarez mikonand) would be "the people of Qom", referring to the Iranian Shi'ite clergy.[19]

In 2010, Mohammad Hassan Rahimian, Khamenei's representative to the Mostazafan Foundation, stated that Iran possesses missile capabilities that would allow it to destroy Israel "in its entirety with a big holocaust."[17] Ayatollah Mohammad Musavi-e Bojnurdi, a senior jurist known for his association with the reformist Iranian Green Movement, said there was "no room for friendly relations with Israel."[19]

Military strategy

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Axis of Resistance

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Further information: Axis of Resistance
See also: Iranian support for Hamas, Iranian support for the Houthis, and Iran–Hezbollah relations
The words "Death to Israel", in Hebrew, on an Iranian Ghadr ballistic missile on display in Isfahan

Iran's refers to its strategic alliance with regional non-state actors, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Palestinian territories, and the Houthi movement in Yemen, as the "Axis of Resistance". These groups receive Iranian support in the form of weapons, funding, and training. According to analyst Afshon Ostovar, the aim of this network is to present Israel with a long-term existential challenge by "slowly strangling" it through a series of "increasingly destructive, unwinnable wars."[20]

According to Dana H. Allin, Iran has covertly supported Palestinian suicide attacks targeting Israeli civilians.[21] The October 7 attacks on Israel—which killed approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw the kidnapping of 250 hostages—was, at least in part, a product of Iran's strategy.[22] The Wall Street Journal cited senior Hamas and Hezbollah members who said the IRGC helped plan the assault and gave the go-ahead during an October 2 meeting in Beirut.[23] In the lead-up to the attack, about 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters reportedly received training in Iran under the supervision of the IRGC Quds Force.[24] According to The Washington Post, the attack occurred "with key support from [Iran] who provided military training and logistical help as well as tens of millions of dollars for weapons."[25] Following the killing of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas leader, in an Israeli operation in mid-October 2024, a new mural appeared in Tehran bearing the message "The storm of Sinwar will continue" in reference to Al-Aqsa Storm, the name Hamas used for its October 7 attacks.[26]

Weapons programs

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The destruction of Israel is frequently cited as one of several strategic objectives behind Iran’s nuclear ambitions.[27] The United States has maintained that a nuclear-capable Iran would likely use its capabilities to attempt the annihilation of Israel.[28]

Iran has inscribed the Hebrew words for "Israel must be erased" on some of its domestically produced missiles, a number of which have reportedly been transferred to Russia for use in its invasion of Ukraine.[11]

Propaganda, symbolism, and ideological messaging

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Quds Day

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Main article: Quds Day
Participants in the Quds Day parade in Qom holding a banner quoting Khomeini: "We must all rise up and destroy Israel"

Established by Ayatollah Khomeini, Quds Day (Ruz-e Qods, in reference to Jerusalem) is celebrated annually on the last Friday of Ramadan and aims to promote Muslim solidarity against Israel.[29][30] Senior clerics, including Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi, have described participation in Quds Day as a form of religious worship (ebādat), intended to unite Muslims around the world.[29]

According to an April 2024 report by Iran International, many Iranians see the annual Quds Day event as irrelevant and disconnected from the country's dire social and economic realities.[31]

In 2017, a digital clock was installed in Palestine Square, Tehran for Quds Day, reportedly counting down to the destruction of Israel. It was programmed to count down 25 years from a 2015 statement made by Khamenei, in which he predicted that Israel would cease to exist within a quarter century.[32]

Conspiracy theories

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Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei told university students that Israel was created by Western powers with the explicit goal of preventing unity among Muslim states.[33] Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi, former head of Iran's judiciary, claimed that "racist, anti-human" Zionism has "enslaved all of the world's peoples" and accused Muslim states of cooperating with a Zionist conspiracy of the "Hebrew polity" to divide the Islamic world.[33] Iranian MP Emad Afroogh alleged that "Jewish rabbis" were responsible for Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi's shift away from his previous moderation toward Shi'ites.[33] IRGC Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri, in 2022, claimed that Saudi rulers descend from the Jews of Medina and Khaybar, enemies of the Prophet Muhammad.[33]

Iranian media, including outlets aligned with the reformist faction, have accused Israeli intelligence of making efforts to undermine Shi'ite religious rituals and sow sectarian discord.[34] In one 2019 example, Mossad was alleged to have trained Israeli Jews as maddahan (ritual eulogists) to infiltrate mourning assemblies in Iran and deliberately mislead audiences into cursing or blaspheming.[34]

Responses

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Academic

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Efraim Karsh, a British–Israeli historian of Middle Eastern politics, has described Iran's posture toward Israel as genocidal.[3] According to American scholar Afshon Ostovar, Iran's campaign against Israel constitutes "the single most destabilizing conflict in the Middle East" and carries "the greatest potential to cause a broader regional war."[20] American journalist Jeffrey Goldberg suggests that if Iran acquired nuclear weapons, it would likely intensify its efforts to destroy Israel.[17]

The words "Death to Israel" in Persian displayed on a parade celebrating Army Day, 2016

According to Ze'ev Magen, Death to Israel (marg bar Esra'il), along with Death to America, has been a commonly used slogan by Iranian officials for over a quarter of a century.[12] Magen suggests the call for the conquest of Jerusalem is portrayed as a unifying jihad that could redirect Sunni opposition away from Shi'ite Iran, which positions Iran as the vanguard of global Islamic resistance.[35]

Within Iran

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Sadegh Zibakalam, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Tehran, has frequently spoken out against the regime's aggressive policies. He says that the Iranian public, especially the younger generation, is losing interest in the Palestinian issue and even expressing support for figures like Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. This support does not stem from alignment with their policies, but rather from opposition to the Iranian regime and its backing of groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Due to his statements, Zibakalam served an 18-month prison sentence and as of March 2025 was under investigation again, potentially facing further imprisonment.[36] Abdollah Nouri, a prominent cleric and former interior minister, was sentenced to five years in prison in 1999 (making him the most senior Islamic Republic official to be jailed since the revolution) reportedly for, among other charges, openly challenging Khomeini's doctrine that Israel must be obliterated.[37]

Jewish religious responses

[edit]

Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, Jewish religious leaders voiced concern over the potential implications of the new Islamic Republic's policies for Israel and Jewish communities in the region. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, described the revolution as a significant turning point in global politics. In public addresses at the time, he warned that Iran's challenge to the United States would weaken American influence and embolden hostility toward Israel. The Rebbe also expressed alarm for the safety of the Jewish community in Iran, which then numbered approximately 50,000, and advocated for a communal day of fasting and prayer in response to the escalating crisis.[38]

[edit]
  • An Iranian F-14 Tomcat fighter jet on display in Isfahan bearing the slogan "Death to Israel" next to the word "Expired" (2019)
    An Iranian F-14 Tomcat fighter jet on display in Isfahan bearing the slogan "Death to Israel" next to the word "Expired" (2019)
  • The slogan "Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth" inscribed on a Shahab-2 missile displayed in Mashhad (2019)
    The slogan "Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth" inscribed on a Shahab-2 missile displayed in Mashhad (2019)
  • The phrase "Death to Israel" displayed in four languages (accompanied by a softened English translation reading "Down with Israel") at the Iranian Army Aviation Museum (2019)
    The phrase "Death to Israel" displayed in four languages (accompanied by a softened English translation reading "Down with Israel") at the Iranian Army Aviation Museum (2019)
  • The slogan "Israel will not see more than five years into the future" inscribed on a missile during the Sacred Defense Week exhibition in Mashhad (2019)
    The slogan "Israel will not see more than five years into the future" inscribed on a missile during the Sacred Defense Week exhibition in Mashhad (2019)
  • Children posing with an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Quds Day parade in Qom (2015)
    Children posing with an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a Quds Day parade in Qom (2015)
  • Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the Iranian newspaper Kayhan, stepping on an Israeli flag at Amirkabir University of Technology (2015)
    Hossein Shariatmadari, editor of the Iranian newspaper Kayhan, stepping on an Israeli flag at Amirkabir University of Technology (2015)

References

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  1. ^ Ostovar, Afshon (2024). Wars of Ambition: the United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 6. ISBN 978-0-19-094098-0. The simmering conflict between Iran and Israel, which is driven by the Islamic Republic's aim of destroying Israel as a Jewish entity, fuels the Palestinian crisis, and reverberates across the region and beyond, also features heavily and is the focus of the book's latter section. [...] Iran sought ... an end to America's dominance and to Israel's existence as a Jewish state. Those had been Iran's goals since the 1979 revolution ...
  2. ^ a b Maloney, Suzanne (2024-12-10). "The Middle East's Dangerous New Normal: Iran, Israel, and the Delicate Balance of Disorder". Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 2025-06-06.
  3. ^ a b c d Karsh, Efraim (2023-11-02). "The Israel-Iran conflict: between Washington and Beijing". Israel Affairs. 29 (6): 1075–1076. doi:10.1080/13537121.2023.2269694. ISSN 1353-7121.
  4. ^ Ostovar, Afshon (2024). Wars of Ambition: the United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-19-094098-0. The goal of destroying Israel as a Jewish entity is a cornerstone of the Islamic Republic of Iran's regional strategy. That goal is intertwined with its larger pursuit to overturn the regional order, and in service to both ends, Iran has built an extensive network of militant proxies across the region to threaten Israel's security. ... The October 7 attacks against Israel were, at least in part, a product of Iran's campaign, and pushed the conflict into another, more dangerous stage.
  5. ^ Reda, Latife (2016-04-02). "Origins of the Islamic Republic's Strategic Approaches to Power and Regional Politics: The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict in Khomeini's Discourse". Middle East Critique. 25 (2): 15, 19, 20. doi:10.1080/19436149.2016.1141587. ISSN 1943-6149.
  6. ^ Reda, Latife (2016-04-02). "Origins of the Islamic Republic's Strategic Approaches to Power and Regional Politics: The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict in Khomeini's Discourse". Middle East Critique. 25 (2): 21. doi:10.1080/19436149.2016.1141587. ISSN 1943-6149.
  7. ^ Freilich, Charles David (2018). Israeli National Security: A New Strategy for an Era of Change. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-19-060293-2.
  8. ^ Erdbrink, Thomas (2015-09-09). "Iran's Supreme Leader Says Israel Won't Exist in 25 Years". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  9. ^ "Iran: Khamenei to lead Friday prayers for first time since 2012 amid US tensions". The Guardian. 2020-01-17. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
    Pileggi, Tamar (2018-06-04). "Khamenei: Israel a 'cancerous tumor' that 'must be eradicated'". Times of Israel.
    "Iran's Khamenei says Israel 'not a country, but a terrorist base'". France 24. 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
    "Iran leader says Israel a 'cancerous tumour' to be destroyed". The Economic Times. 2020-05-22. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  10. ^ "Iran's Khamenei tells visiting Hamas chief that Israel 'will one day be eliminated'". The Times of Israel. 2024-05-23. Archived from the original on 2024-06-02. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  11. ^ a b Magen, Ze'ev (2023). Reading revolutionary Iran: the worldview of the Islamic republic's religio-political elite. Studies on Modern Orient. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. p. 199. ISBN 978-3-11-101810-2.
  12. ^ a b Magen, Ze'ev (2023). Reading revolutionary Iran: the worldview of the Islamic republic's religio-political elite. Studies on Modern Orient. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. pp. 206–207. ISBN 978-3-11-101810-2.
  13. ^ Arjomand, Said Amir (2009). After Khomeini: Iran under his successors. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 157. ISBN 978-0-19-539179-4.
  14. ^ "Iran president sees "countdown" to Israel's end". Reuters. 2007-08-09.
  15. ^ "Iran's Rouhani calls Israel a 'cancerous tumor'". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  16. ^ "Iranian President Repeats Calls For Rapid End To Israel". Iran International. 2023-11-19. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Goldberg, Jeffrey (2015-03-09). "The Iranian Regime on Israel's Right to Exist". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  18. ^ Hafezi, Parisa (2023-10-17). "Iran's Khamenei says Israel must halt assault on Palestinians in Gaza". Reuters.
  19. ^ a b c Magen, Ze'ev (2023). Reading revolutionary Iran: the worldview of the Islamic republic's religio-political elite. Studies on Modern Orient. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. p. 127. ISBN 978-3-11-101810-2.
  20. ^ a b Ostovar, Afshon (2024). Wars of Ambition: the United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 8. ISBN 978-0-19-094098-0. Fifth, the Islamic Republic of Iran's campaign against Israel is the single most destabilizing conflict in the Middle East, and the one with the greatest potential to cause a broader regional war. The goal of constructing an existential challenge to the State of Israel is the driving motivation behind Iran's involvement in Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, and the West Bank, and also figures prominently in its support to clients in Iraq and Yemen. Iran has aimed to slowly strangle Israel by keeping it mired in a series of increasingly destructive, unwinnable wars through funneling advanced weaponry and financial backing to groups such as Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. That aggression has compelled Israel to pursue a retaliatory campaign. Because of the wide geography where the Iranian–Israeli conflict has played out, and because of the United States' deep commitments to Israel and correspondingly hostile relations with Iran, an outbreak of open war between Iran and Israel could encompass much of the region and draw in U.S. involvement.
  21. ^ Allin, Dana H.; Simon, Steven (2010). The sixth crisis: Iran, Israel, America, and the rumors of war. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-19-975449-6.
  22. ^ Ostovar, Afshon (2024). Wars of Ambition: the United States, Iran, and the Struggle for the Middle East. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 18. ISBN 978-0-19-094098-0.
  23. ^ Said, Summer; Faucon, Benoit; Kalin, Stephen. "WSJ News Exclusive | Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2023-10-08. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  24. ^ Said, Summer; Lieber, Dov; Faucon, Benoit (2023-10-25). "WSJ News Exclusive | Hamas Fighters Trained in Iran Before Oct. 7 Attacks". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2023-10-27. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  25. ^ "Hamas received weapons and training from Iran, officials say". The Washington Post. October 9, 2023. Archived from the original on October 12, 2023. Retrieved October 22, 2023.
  26. ^ Fassihi, Farnaz (2024-10-25). "Murals in Tehran Offer Tributes and Threats Against Israel". The New York Times.
  27. ^ Allin, Dana H.; Simon, Steven (2010). The sixth crisis: Iran, Israel, America, and the rumors of war. Oxford & New York: Oxford University Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-19-975449-6.
  28. ^ Sharma, Anu (2022). Through the looking glass: Iran and its foreign relations. London New York, NY: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. p. 63. ISBN 978-1-032-23149-5.
  29. ^ a b Magen, Ze'ev (2023). Reading revolutionary Iran: the worldview of the Islamic republic's religio-political elite. Studies on Modern Orient. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. p. 626. ISBN 978-3-11-101810-2.
  30. ^ Reda, Latife (2016-04-02). "Origins of the Islamic Republic's Strategic Approaches to Power and Regional Politics: The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict in Khomeini's Discourse". Middle East Critique. 25 (2): 20. doi:10.1080/19436149.2016.1141587. ISSN 1943-6149.
  31. ^ "Iranians Criticize Quds Day's Futility And Destructive Impact". www.iranintl.com. 2024-04-05. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  32. ^ "Iranian protesters unveil clock showing 8,411 days until the end of Israel". The Independent. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2025-06-04.
  33. ^ a b c d Magen, Ze'ev (2023). Reading revolutionary Iran: the worldview of the Islamic republic's religio-political elite. Studies on Modern Orient. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. p. 629. ISBN 978-3-11-101810-2.
  34. ^ a b Magen, Ze'ev (2023). Reading revolutionary Iran: the worldview of the Islamic republic's religio-political elite. Studies on Modern Orient. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. p. 625. ISBN 978-3-11-101810-2.
  35. ^ Magen, Ze'ev (2023). Reading revolutionary Iran: the worldview of the Islamic republic's religio-political elite. Studies on Modern Orient. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter. p. 626. ISBN 978-3-11-101810-2.
  36. ^ Azizi, Arash (2025-03-12). "The Iranian Dissident Asking Simple Questions". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
  37. ^ Arjomand, Said Amir (2009). After Khomeini: Iran under his successors. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-0-19-539179-4.
  38. ^ Shamir, Shlomo. "The Israeli Journalist, Iran, and the Rebbe's Vision". Chabad.org. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
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