Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei downplayed the importance of US President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, saying that the nations of the region shared a "deep hatred" of America. Khamenei made these comments while marking the 20th demise anniversary of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who established the Islamic republic in 1979.
"The nations in the region hate the United States from the bottom of their hearts because they have seen violence, military intervention and discrimination," Khamenei said, according to AFP. "The new US government seeks to transform this image. I say firmly, that this will not be achieved by talking, speech and slogans.
"They have done things that have deeply hurt the nations in the region... action is needed and one can not remove this deep hatred by words, speeches and slogans."
