Iran Leader: US provoking certain states to confront Iran

Leader of the Islamic Revolution says the US is instigating Saudi Arabia and certain other regional countries to start a confrontation with Iran. //"The Americans' feet must be cut off from West Asia and they must leave this region," he added.

Hawzah News Agency (Tehran, Iran) - "The Americans are trying to provoke the Saudis and certain countries in the region and pit them against the Islamic Republic but if they have wisdom, they should not be deceived by the United States," Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said on Monday.

His remarks came a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Saudi Arabia where he called for unity among the Persian Gulf countries, deeply divided over Qatar, in order to face Iran.

"The Americans do not want to suffer the cost of confronting the Islamic Republic and the powerful nation of Iran themselves; they want to make some states in the region shoulder it," the Leader told a group of workers and entrepreneurs in Tehran ahead of May Day.

"Some countries in the region should know that if they face the Islamic Republic of Iran, they will definitely be hit and defeated," Ayatollah Khamenei added.

The Leader said US military presence in West Asia is the cause of insecurity, war and violence. "For this reason, the Americans' feet must be cut off from this region and they must leave West Asia," he added.

Former US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson drew a harsh response from Iranian officials when he said at a news conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir last October that Iranian forces in Iraq "need to go home".

Iran was central to Iraq's defeat of Daesh (or ISIS) terrorists in the Arab country through the advisory assistance which it provided at the request of the Iraqi government.

Ayatollah Khamenei said on Monday the one who has to leave the region is America, not the Islamic Republic of Iran.

"We are from here, and the Persian Gulf and West Asia are our home, but you are the outsider with mischievous aims, seeking to instigate sedition."

"The US incites the Saudis in order to create a conflict in our region. Why don't they incite the Zionists? Because they want Muslims to fight against Muslims," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

The Leader touched on the long-held US animosity with Iran, saying the country is currently waging an economic war against the Islamic Republic.

"Today, the war waged against us, is funded by US Department of Treasury. How do we encounter it? We invest in on our own economy," Ayatollah Khamenei said.