TEHRAN - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that the United States’ forces will definitely be expelled from Syria and Iraq because of their criminal actions and warmongering.

“The long-term actions of the United States have caused the government of this country to be hated in a large part of the world. These actions include war mongering, helping notorious governments, advocating terrorism, supporting oppression wholeheartedly, and the like. Of course, the Americans cannot stay for long in Iraq or Syria, and they will be expelled,” he said during a meeting with university students through a video conference.

He added, “The United States openly says that it has deployed its forces in Syria because there is oil there. Of course, they [the U.S. forces] will not stay for long either in Iraq or in Syria. They will certainly have to leave those countries, and they will definitely be expelled.”

Elsewhere, he said that a part of hatred towards the U.S. comes from the behavior of the current U.S. officials, including President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

“Of course, hatred of the United States is not confined to this. The long-term actions of the United States, including carrying out massacres and various crimes, showing injustice, supporting terrorism, helping despotic and notorious governments, unconditionally supporting the increasingly oppressive actions of the Zionist regime, and more recently, their deplorable handling of the coronavirus pandemic are other reasons why the United States is hated,” the Leader stated.

‘Young administration is solution to country’s problems’

Ayatollah Khamenei also said that the solution to the economic problems facing the country is formation of a young and pious administration.

“The establishment of a young, pious administration does not mean that the head of the administration must be a young thirty-two-year-old, rather it means that the administration should be comprised of enthusiastic, energetic, ready, members who are at an age to work and struggle,” he explained.

NA/PA