Tehran Friday Prayer Leader Says US Withdrawals Signal Global Power Shift

During this week's Friday Prayers sermon in Tehran, Hojatoleslam Seyed Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard said the world is on the verge of fundamental changes, citing recent developments at the UN General Assembly as evidence of the decline of Western political influence and the waning of US hegemony. He stated that voices of dissatisfaction among nations and governments are being heard louder than ever.

Aboutorabi-Fard referred to the departure of 77 delegations during the speech by the Israeli prime minister at the UN General Assembly as evidence of a changing global political landscape. He also pointed to a growing political awakening among people worldwide, the Islamic world's return to its religious and moral identity, the growing strength of the resistance front, and what he described as major victories by Islamic resistance forces against the United States, Israel, and Western-aligned powers. He said these developments indicate shifts in political and economic power at the beginning of the third millennium, adding that the decline of the West would pave the way for an end to unilateralism.

Discussing US and Western military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, Aboutorabi-Fard said both campaigns were launched with the stated objective of changing the Middle East's map in favor of Israel and the United States. He noted that Afghanistan remained under US and allied occupation from 2001 to 2021, while Iraq was invaded in 2003 by US armored and mechanized forces with Western support. He said the peoples of the region and the world have witnessed the consequences of "American democracy," including the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Muslim men, women, and children in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Aboutorabi-Fard said the US withdrawal from Iraq marked the beginning of a period of greater independence and standing for the Iraqi people and government, while the US withdrawal from Afghanistan similarly marked the beginning of greater dignity and strength for the Afghan people. He stated that the US-led system of global power has pursued dominance and warfare under the banner of democracy, freedom, and human rights since the beginning of the 19th century. He also said the United States has supported authoritarian governments for nearly two centuries and noted that Israel currently receives the largest share of US military assistance.

Referring to Iran and the broader resistance front, Aboutorabi-Fard said the resistance of Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Gaza, Palestine, Yemen, and other parts of the Muslim world marks the beginning of the end of the US presence in the region. He said the United States and its allies had learned this lesson from the Iranian people, as well as from Iran's police forces, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and Army. According to Mehr News, the sermon was delivered during this week's Friday Prayers in Tehran.