Top Iran cleric asks God to kill Bush, Sharon
TEHRAN, March 1 (Reuters) - A hardline Iranian cleric on Friday called for the deaths of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and U.S. President George W. Bush.
"If it be through the death of Sharon or the death of Bush, please brighten-up our hearts, O Lord," Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati told thousands of worshippers gathered at the Tehran University campus ahead of a Shi'ite Muslim holiday in a sermon broadcast on state radio.
The remarks by the hardline cleric, who heads the powerful Guardian Council, highlighted Iran's tense relations with its arch-enemies, Israel and the United States.
Jannati is known for his fiery rhetoric during Friday prayer sermons, which are often interrupted by chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel."
Bush has denounced Iran, along with Iraq and North Korea, as part of an "axis of evil" bent on supporting terrorism and acquiring weapons of mass destruction. The Islamic republic rejects both charges.
Iran, which has close ties with militant Islamic groups, has been vocal in its condemnation of Israel during a Palestinian uprising in which at least 908 Palestinians and 280 Israelis have been killed.
07:54 03-01-02 |
