Endorsement of American Pro-Hamas College Students by ‘World’s Biggest Terrorist Leader’ Sparks Widespread Reaction

Widespread online reaction followed a message from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praising pro-Hamas American university students protesting Israel, welcoming them to the terrorist “Resistance Front,” and encouraging them to “become familiar with the Quran.”

The letter, which is addressed to U.S. college students, was published Wednesday evening on Khamenei.ir, the official website of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the “Supreme Leader” of Iran.

The 85-year-old authoritarian ruler, widely criticized for backing terrorism, has a history of human rights abuses, suppression of dissent, and radical policies, which have led to widespread suffering and repression among the Iranian people. 

In his letter, Khamenei reverses narratives by labeling innocent defenders as terrorists while glorifying those he supports, and distorting historical events to align with his extreme ideological views.

Expressing “empathy and solidarity” with the pro-Hamas students, Khamenei insisted they were “standing on the right side” of history, and that they are a “branch of the Resistance Front.”

The “Resistance Front” is a reference to a loose alliance of Iran-backed terror groups and militias across the Middle East, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Yemen’s Houthis, Iraq’s Islamic Resistance, and Hamas, all of which oppose Western influence, while seeking to destroy Israel and kill American troops.

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He then clarifies that the goal of the struggle for Palestinians is to end the supposed oppression of a “brutal Zionist terrorist network,” without any mention of the Arab terror perpetrated against Jewish communities since before the Jewish state’s inception and throughout its existence.

The Ayatollah blames a “global Zionist elite” that owns or influences most US and European media corporations for labeling the “courageous, humane resistance movement as ‘terrorism.’”

“I too am among those who empathize with you young people, and value your perseverance,” he writes, before citing the Koran’s teachings to uphold righteousness and refrain from oppression.

“My advice to you is to become familiar with the Quran,” he concludes.

“When you’ve won the Ayatollah, you’ve lost America,” wrote House Speaker Mike Johnson.

“If the Ayatollah of Iran is praising you, you are definitely on the wrong side of history,” wrote US Congressman Brian Mast (R-FL).

“The ayatollah and @TheDemocrats are supporting the same movement. Let that sink in,” wrote Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).

“The Supremely evil leader of Iran proselytizing to American students,”  wrote speechwriter Aviva Klompas.

“Khamenei now joins Hamas, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda in lauding anti-Israel protests on Western campuses,” wrote Joe Truzman, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Long War Journal.

Journalist David Atherton shared a “message to all you useful idiots seen out last night & most Saturdays, who have been endorsed by Al-Qaeda Islamic republic of Iran, Hamas & Houthis” with an image depicting ISIS decapitators with their victims, with the message: “If you believe you can coexist with people like this, you’re a very special kind of stupid.”

“Imagine telling someone 10 years ago that the Iranian Supreme Leader would be thanking a bunch of blue-haired atheists at Columbia,” wrote the “End Wokeness” X account.

“The world’s biggest terrorist leader just gave US university students the green light. Congratulations!” wrote Yemeni-born journalist Luai Ahmed.

“When Khameini is supporting you and on your side, then you’re on the wrong side of history,” wrote the “Leftism” X account.

“From the regime’s Supreme Leader to students in the U.S. How can it be right in front of them and they still can’t see it?” wondered Iranian-American activist Elica Le Bon.

“Ayatollah Khamenei’s praise for American protests is hypocritical, given his regime’s brutal repression of dissent in Iran, including executions for minor infractions and severe punishment for protestors,” wrote one X user. 

“To college students. Go do your research on this man. He is evil,” wrote another.

“Dear American college students, You’re now being praised by the FUCKING AYATOLLAH of Iran,” another wrote. “Maybe think on that for a moment. Crazy, huh?”

Iran is the largest state sponsor of terrorism worldwide as well as one of the primary funders of Hamas, the Iranian proxy Islamist terrorist organization that perpetrated the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history on October 7, targeting attendees at a music festival and those in southern Israeli towns, all while thousands of rockets rained down on Israeli civilian centers.

The massacre saw terrorists kill approximately 1,200 people and wound over 4,800, with at least 242 hostages taken — more than half of whom still remain in Gaza. The vast majority of the victims are civilians and include dozens of American citizens.

The government of Iran responded to initial reports of the attack by staging a massive street party in Tehran that same day. Attendees chanted “death to Israel” and “death to America” and were treated with free lemonade and a fireworks display to celebrate the mass killing of Israelis.

In addition, the Iranian parliament gave Hamas a standing ovation, shouting “Death to Israel!” and “Palestine is victorious, Israel will be destroyed!”

Meanwhile, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei glorified the carnage as the brutal events were unfolding, writing in a post, “God willing, the cancer of the usurper Zionist regime will be eradicated at the hands of the Palestinian people.”

Prior to the massacre, on the 22nd anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the U.S. homeland by radical Muslim terrorists, Khamenei celebrated the demise of “the arrogant power of America” in a speech in Tehran.

In November, he declared that the common chant of “Death to America” in his country is “not just a slogan – it is a policy,” one his regime intended to bring to fruition.

Last month, he lauded the pro-Palestinian protests across U.S. college campuses, particularly praising the chants “against Israel and America,” while depicting the radical demonstrations sweeping the country as a form of victory for the Islamic regime over the “ruined” Western democracies.

The Islamic theocrat also ranted against the “evil nature” of the West and declared Israel “must be punished and will be punished” for an airstrike that eliminated one of Tehran’s most influential terrorist operatives.

On Wednesday, al-Qaeda, the terrorist group behind the deadly September 11 attacks, praised recent left-wing pro-Hamas protests on college campuses.

According to world-renowned military historian and professor Dr. Victor Davis Hanson, the Iranian proxy terrorist group Hamas relies on “useful Western idiots” to support the Palestinian cause, which has “fused with the leftwing DEI industry.” In addition, he argues, pro-Palestinian protests and support for Hamas in the U.S. have alienated many Americans and will all but ensure a tough conservative president in 2024.