Ayatollah Khamenei’s Letter To American College Students

Khamenei’s letter is as incendiary as one would expect. While you read it, remember that he hopes you use his letter to delegitimize the protests. Falling for his tricks would be a mistake.

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, has written an open letter to American college students.

I’ve included the entire letter in this post, which has been released by his office and is filled with antisemitic rhetoric, but first, some important context.

That Khamenei has written such a letter in the aftermath of encampments in support of the Palestinian cause across dozens of US campuses is no surprise.

Khamenei is shrewdly taking advantage of the moment not because he wants to further the Palestinian cause and help the Palestinian people, but because he wishes to further destabilize the United States, the West, and increase the influence of the Islamic Republic in the Middle East.

Foreign intelligence agencies monitor unrest on university campuses closely. Universities frequently become epicenters of political activism, and by observing protests and unrest in general, these agencies can glean valuable insights into potential political leaders, emerging movements, and the prevailing sentiment among younger generations. This information gathering is essential for understanding an adversary's internal dynamics and crafting strategies to influence or respond to these developments.

The Islamic Republic of Iran and its intelligence agencies are no exception to this rule; in fact, the Islamic Republic has proven over the last five decades that its ability to monitor student activities (and quickly quash protests and unrest when necessary) on its campuses in Iran is a critical component of its survival.

Both the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Khomeini, and his successor, Ayatollah Khamenei, have always taken a keen personal interest in how American college students respond to their political leadership. Khamenei was particularly interested in the Iraq War protests on US college campuses, but nothing compares to the recent round of protests in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack on Israel and the brutal response by the Israeli military.

The knee-jerk reaction by some will be to hold up this letter and point to it as evidence that these encampments and protests are not legitimate.

That is precisely what Khamenei and his intelligence services are seeking.

Releasing this letter is not only a recruitment strategy but also a provocation strategy; they want elected officials, religious leaders, community leaders, parents, and university administrators to delegitimize protests, causing students to become angrier, which leads to more chaos and division.

Khamenei does not want people in power to think critically; he doesn't want nuance and dialogue to prevail.

Destabilizing the United States is Khamenei's goal, and playing into his hands by reacting harshly rather than strategically is what he seeks.

Please remember that as you read his letter.

Here is Khamenei’s letter in full as released by his office:

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful

I am writing this letter to the young people whose awakened conscience has moved them to defend the oppressed women and children of Gaza.

Dear university students in the United States of America, this message is an expression of our empathy and solidarity with you. As the page of history is turning, you are standing on the right side of it.

You have now formed a branch of the Resistance Front and have begun an honorable struggle in the face of your government's ruthless pressure—a government which openly supports the usurper and brutal Zionist regime.

The greater Resistance Front which shares the same understandings and feelings that you have today, has been engaged in the same struggle for many years in a place far from you. The goal of this struggle is to put an end to the blatant oppression that the brutal Zionist terrorist network has inflicted on the Palestinian nation for many years. After seizing their country, the Zionist regime has subjected them to the harshest of pressures and tortures.

The apartheid Zionist regime's genocide today is the continuation of extreme oppressive behavior which has been going on for decades. Palestine is an independent land with a long history. It is a nation comprised of Muslims, Christians, and Jews.  

After the World War, the capitalist Zionist network gradually imported several thousand terrorists into this land with the help of the British government. These terrorists attacked cities and villages, murdered tens of thousands of people and pushed out multitudes into neighboring countries. They seized their homes, businesses and farmlands, formed a government in the usurped land of Palestine and called it Israel.

After England's initial help, the United States became the greatest supporter of this usurper regime, ceaselessly providing it with political, economic and military support. In an act of unforgivable recklessness, the United States even opened the way and provided assistance for the regime's production of nuclear weapons.

The Zionist regime used an iron-fist policy against the defenseless people of Palestine from the very beginning and has, day by day, intensified its brutality, terror and repression in complete disregard of all moral, human and religious values.

The United States government and its allies refused to even frown upon this state terrorism and ongoing oppression. And today, some remarks by the US government regarding the horrific crimes taking place in Gaza are more hypocritical than real.

The Resistance Front emerged from this dark environment of despair, and the establishment of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran expanded and fortified it.

The global Zionist elite – who owns most US and European media corporations or influences them through funding and bribery – has labeled this courageous, humane resistance movement as "terrorism".

Can one call a people a terrorist nation for defending themselves on their own land against the crimes of the occupying Zionists? And is helping such a nation and strengthening it, an act of terrorism?

The oppressive leaders of global hegemony mercilessly distort even the most basic human concepts. They portray the ruthless, terrorist Israeli regime as acting in self-defense ­– yet they portray the Palestinian Resistance which defends its freedom, security and the right to self-determination, as terrorists!

I would like to assure you that today the circumstances are changing. A different fate awaits the important region of West Asia. The people's conscience has awakened on a global scale, and the truth is coming to light.

Moreover, the Resistance Front has grown in strength and will become even stronger.

And history is turning a page.

Besides you students from dozens of American universities, there have also been uprisings in other countries among academics and the general public.

The support and solidarity of your professors is a significant and consequential development. This can offer some measure of comfort in the face of your government's police brutality and the pressures it is exerting on you. I too am among those who empathize with you young people, and value your perseverance.

The Quran's lesson for us Muslims and all of humanity, is to stand up for that which is right: "So be steadfast as you have been commanded" (11:112).

The Quran's lesson for human relations is: "Do not oppress and do not be oppressed" (2:279).

The Resistance Front advances by a comprehensive understanding and the practice of these and hundreds of other such commands – and will attain victory with the permission of God.

My advice to you is to become familiar with the Quran.

Sayyid Ali Khamenei

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