Khamenei: Capitalists will make the US sink like the Titanic

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said that the United States will sink like the Titanic due to “wealthy Zionist individuals and corporate owners” who allegedly control the country’s economy.

In a series of tweets released yesterday, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic accused the US economy and its renowned global influence a “facade” and that President Donald Trump is using his position to funnel the country’s wealth to a few billionaires he associates with.

“Today, the epitome of rebellion, arrogance and tyranny is the US government, which is controlled by the wealthy Zionist individuals and corporate owners,” Khamenei wrote on Twitter. “In the same way that the glory and splendor of the famous #Titanic ship did not prevent her from sinking, the apparent glory & splendor of the US won’t prevent it from sinking. And, the US will sink,” he insisted.

In the same way that the glory and splendor of the famous #Titanic ship did not prevent her from sinking, the apparent glory & splendor of the US won’t prevent it from sinking. And, the US will sink.

— Khamenei.ir (@khamenei_ir) February 19, 2020

Khamenei then targeted the Donald Trump’s economic policies and achievements, saying that “The current US President claims he has improved the economic situation there. Others say yes, it’s become better, but only for the billionaires, not for the people of the US.”

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He claimed that it was not only “my words, but the words of a member of the U.S. ruling body. He says over $100B [billion] has been added to the wealth of the 5 richest people in the US in the 3 years of Trump’s presidency. 3 of them own wealth equal to half the US population. Look at this social gap!” This was in reference to an official who is under speculation, but is thought to be Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, known for his vocal socialist critique of the US economic system.

Khamenei then alluded to the staggering amount of debt that the US has compiled in recent decades and owes, saying that that “the US has created the façade of being on its feet. The truth is that with a $22k billion [$22 trillion] debt, the US has one of the largest debts in the world today, & the gap between social classes is wider than ever.”

The Supreme Leader ended the tweets by stating that “We are not against the people of the US. What we are against is the rule of oppression, rebellion, and arrogance.”

His series of tweets on his account – known for being one of the leader’s main points of international public relations with accounts in Farsi, English, Russian, and Arabic – comes amid the sharp increase in tensions between Iran and the US throughout the past few years.

READ: Soleimani’s assassination has cornered Iran

This has been the case particularly following Iran’s seizing of European ships and oil tankers last summer and its shooting down of a US drone in the area. Later that year, Iran was the main suspect of the attack on a Saudi Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia’s south-west in September, which hit global oil supplies by five per cent. Then came the assassination of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani on 2 January this year, causing relations to plummet even further.

Much of the tension stems from the US’ withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and the re-imposition of sanctions on the country, which has resulted in a spiral of increasingly tense relations between the Islamic Republic and the US and EU. In response, the US has deployed thousands of its troops to be stationed in Saudi Arabia to monitor the perceived Iranian threat.