At a ceremony marking the 34th anniversary of the passing of Imam Khomeini, Iranian leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei affirmed that the Iranian people are becoming more powerful in the face of global arrogance and Zionism, stressing that Iranian youth must be attentive to the fact that the hostility of the global arrogance toward Iran shall never come to an end.

While addressing tens of thousands of Iranians who came to mark the ceremony, Sayyed Khamenei tersely stated that "the Americans have placed Iran on the axis of evil with the aim of taking it back to the pre-Revolution era and making it an affiliate."

It was Imam #Khomeini who started the Islamic awakening. After the Zionists and their supporters imagined that the issue of #Palestine was finished, it became the top issue in the Islamic world due to the transformation that Imam Khomeini created in the Islamic nation.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 4, 2023

Elsewhere in his remarks, he assured that "the hostility of the enemies' front in the face of Iran does not change with us retreating."

"Whoever thinks so is mistaken, because any retreat will only make them more hostile," he added.

Ayatollah Khamenei is currently delivering a speech in a ceremony to mark the 34th anniversary of Imam Khomeini’s (ra) demise. pic.twitter.com/OiXxBy0Ffa

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) June 4, 2023

The Iranian leader alluded to the recent riots as being one of the latest schemes by the enemies, stressing that they were devised in Western think tanks and their security apparatuses provided media and armament funding.

The criminals from inside Iran took action and some politicians abroad rushed to take photos with these traitors, he said, adding, "They have once again misunderstood the great Iranian people."

The Iranian leader also shed light on the upcoming elections which he described as important, divulging that "the enemies have already started, nine months ago, to take an aim at these elections."

On the dignity and grandeur of Imam Khomeini, Khamenei hailed the late founder of the Islamic Republic for bringing about three "unprecedented changes in Iran, the Islamic Ummah, and the world."

"Imam Khomeini transformed Iran from a monarchy that was subservient to powers into a democracy that was independent and great, ignited the Islamic awakening movement among the Islamic Ummah, and made the Palestinian cause the foremost issue of Islam," he said. 

Read next: Iran challenging “fake US hegemony”: Bagheri