Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lashed out on Sunday against US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's leaders for their new regional alliance against Tehran, saying it would bear no fruit. Khamenei called the visit a display of brazenness. "The US president stands alongside the leaders of a tribal and backward system and does the sword dance, but criticises an Iranian election with 40 million votes," the supreme leader said in a speech broadcast live on state TV.
"Even with a multi-billion dollar bribe to America, the Saudis cannot achieve their goals in the region," he said. Khamenei accused Washington of double standards, saying it turned a blind eye to the "killing of Yemeni people in mosques, streets and their homes," while claiming to promote human rights around the world. "European leaders are now saying the Americans are not trustworthy. Imam Khomeini said the same thing more than 30 years ago," Khamenei said at the mausoleum of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, marking the 1989 death of the founder of the Islamic Republic. Khamenei hailed the high turnout in the election, saying that it showed the majority of Iranians still supported the Islamic revolution and its uncompromising values.