PM Netanyahu: 'Tyrant' Khamenei Is Wrong, Israel Is Here To Stay, Anti-Iran Rally, Cruz Targets Republican Leadership

Netanyahu: 'Tyrant' Khamenei is wrong, Israel is here to stay | The Times of Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday dismissed comments by the Iranian supreme leader that Israel will have ceased to exist in 25 years, vowing the Jewish state is here to stay. The prime minister said remarks by the “tyrant” supreme leader left no “room for illusion” for supporters of the nuclear deal.

“Khamenei is not giving supporters of the agreement any room for illusion. He has made it clear that the US is the Great Satan and that Iran intends to destroy the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said after landing in London for talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron. “This will not happen. Israel is a strong country and it will become even stronger.”

The prime minister said the international community must band together to fight Iran’s “terrorism and aggression.

“However, the conclusion that arises from the remarks of the tyrant in Tehran is that all responsible countries must cooperate in order to stop Iran’s terrorism and aggression which, to my regret, will only increase as a result of the agreement,” said Netanyahu.

In a quote posted to Twitter by his official account, Khamenei addresses Israel, saying, “You will not see next 25 years,” and adds that the Jewish state will be hounded until it is destroyed.

The quote appears against a backdrop of a photograph apparently showing the Iranian leader walking on an Israeli flag painted on a sidewalk.

“After negotiations, in Zionist regime they said they had no more concern about Iran for next 25 years; I’d say: Firstly, you will not see next 25 years; God willing, there will be nothing as Zionist regime by next 25 years. Secondly, until then, struggling, heroic and jihadi morale will leave no moment of serenity for Zionists,” the quote from Iran’s top leader reads in broken English.

Khamenei’s statements also reaffirmed his view that the US is a “Great Satan” and that there would be no detente with Washington beyond the nuclear talks.

“We approved talks with the United States about [the] nuclear issue specifically. We have not allowed talks with the US in other fields and we [do] not negotiate with them,” Khamenei said in statements published on his website.

At anti-Iran deal rally, Cruz targets Republican leadership | The Times of Israel

Gathered outside the steps of the Capitol under a blazing sun, a coalition of right-wing organizations gathered to oppose the Iran deal, but while the rhetoric against President Barack Obama blazed as hot as the sun, speakers and audience members spared little vitriol for the Republican leaders in Congress.

Three Republican presidential candidates — Senator Ted Cruz, mogul Donald Trump and former Virginia governor Jim Gilmore — all took the stage to condemn the nuclear agreement, but speakers also accused the Republican leadership of tacitly giving in to the administration.

Attendees booed at the mention of Speaker of the House John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell minutes after the House floor debate on the Iran deal ground to a halt due to an internal uprising among conservative Republicans in the House.

Speaker after speaker called on McConnell and Boehner to support claims made by Rep. Peter Roskam and the conservative House Freedom Caucus that the administration had not provided the documents necessary for Congressional review of the deal. After that the message diverged; some argued that this rendered the deal completely irrelevant, while others said that Congress would have 60 days after receiving the additional documents to review and vote on the deal.

Hundreds of attendees displayed a wide assortment of signs, including one that read “Boehner McConnell — Repugnicant Traitors.” Others wore Revolutionary War garb, carrying the yellow “Don’t tread on me” banner, which has come to symbolize the Tea Party movement; and another carried a shofar, which he trumpeted in support of the speakers.

Cruz greeted the audience in his shirtsleeves to loud applause, telling them that they were facing “a lawless president.”

Cruz warned businesses that “if this president behaves illegally and says you can hand this money over to Iran — that does not exempt you from having to uphold the law.” US banks, he said, would be subject to “billions of dollars in civil liabilities and litigation” if they facilitate trade with Iran under what Cruz described as an illegitimate agreement.

“Mitch McConnell and John Boehner can stop this deal if they simply enforce federal law,” Cruz asserted. “If Republican leadership decides that a show vote is more important than stopping this deal, then the single biggest issue in 2016 will be stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.”