Ayatollah Jannati: The English Are the Father of the Great Satan

The following are excerpts from a Friday sermon at Tehran University by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the secretary of the Guardian Council Channel, Iranian TV aired the sermon on February 4, 2005:

Crowd: America, England, a curse on your plots!

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati: Allah's curse upon them.

Crowd: Death to America, death to America.

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati: Allah willing, as soon as possible. May the Lord hasten their death and liberate the people.

The Americans must know that each vote going into those ballot boxes means that America must leave this country [Iraq].

The noble Iraqi public hears the Americans say time and again that they will remain after the elections. I say to this dear public: Oh noble people, you have shown your maturity in these elections and on other occasions. You have demonstrated your political maturity and your wisdom. You have shown the world that you do not need a guardian and that you can stand on your own two feet and run your country. I say to you: The Americans will not leave. You must drive the Americans out.

We don't hold too much hope in the [nuclear] talks. The [Iranian] negotiators, the other parties, and everyone else should know: The nuclear fuel cycle is where we draw the line and the line is our first priority. No one can deny this, but if, God forbid, someone does-- all the people will oppose him.

Crowd: Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Allah Akbar.

Khamenei is the leader.

Death to those who reject the rule of the jurisprudent.

Death to America.

Death to England.

Death to the hypocrites [Mojahedin-e Khalq] and Saddam.

Death to Israel.

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati: We have threats on two fronts : One threat is by America the bully, which officially and openly imposes its unreasonable position. It threatens us in various ways. The second threat is by the English in the [nuclear] talks. The English are indeed the father of the Great Satan. The Great Satan is, in fact, their child, who was conceived there and lives there [in America]. [The British] are "first league" in deception. They are fox-like and treacherous.