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Iran's supreme leader breaks silence on US election

In his first public speech on the US presidential election, Iran’s supreme leader said victory by a Democratic or a Republican candidate will not trigger any change of policy in Tehran.
A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on October 24, 2020, shows him wearing a protective face mask as he gives a speech in the capital Tehran during a meeting of the national staff to discuss the issue of the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis. (Photo by - / KHAMENEI.IR / AFP) / XGTY / === RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / HO / KHAMENEI.IR" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS === (Photo by

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defended his country’s overall stance toward the United States as a “calculated” policy that will not change based on “who enters or leaves” the Oval Office. While admitting that “things may happen” under certain US presidents, Khamenei said, “This does not concern the Islamic Republic.”

The Iranian supreme leader made the televised comments on the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the former US Embassy in Tehran that lead to a hostage crisis lasting for 444 days. The episode prompted Washington to cut off its diplomatic ties with Tehran and triggered a cycle of hostilities between the two governments that has only worsened during President Donald Trump’s term in office.

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