Almost 37 years to the day that radical students overran the U.S. Embassy in Iran, the Islamic republic’s supreme leader sat with students and delivered a blistering tirade against American society, politics and foreign policy.
He reserved special condemnation for Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and said this year’s election was a symptom of America’s decline.
“These two candidates show the catastrophic reality which goes beyond what even we were saying,” said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who regularly speaks out against perceived U.S. imperialism and double standards.
He has been steadfast in refusing to negotiate directly with the United States, even during the momentous deliberations leading to the nuclear deal signed last year.
Khamenei said he had watched the presidential debates and found the two candidates’ comments to be “sufficient for the annihilation of the reputation of the United States.”
“Their statements are proof of the destruction of human values in the United States,” he said.
The Iranian government is not a beacon of human rights. It regularly detains journalists and activists on trumped-up charges, often resulting in long sentences.
Just recently, an Iranian-American businessman and his father were arrested under suspicion of spying and sentenced to 10 years.
Another dual citizen was given 18 years for spying and blasphemy.
Relations between Iran and the West have thawed slightly since the signing of the nuclear deal.
Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, has pledged to keep working toward improved relations.
