TEHRAN -- A senior Iranian cleric said here Friday that U.S.' protracted stay in Iraq will turn it to a bete noire of regional countries as he lashed out at Washington for committing crimes in Iraq in the name of upholding democracy.

"The longer America stays in Iraq, the more hated it will become," Ayatollah Mohammad Emami Kashani told thousands of worshipers at the weekly Friday prayers.

"America's recent putsch against Iraq as well as the world has especially awakened the Islamic world although we have still a long way to reach a favorable degree (of enlightenment)," the cleric added.

"Bombarding non-military people under the guise of liberation and democracy and concealing the Zionists' crimes against the oppressed Palestinian people under the title of fighting terrorism only boil down to reversing realities," Ayatollah Emami Kashani said.

The cleric urged world Muslims to close their ranks and unite in order to confront existing threats since "unity at this juncture is not a slogan but a cause for Islam".

The warm welcome accorded by the Lebanese people to President Mohammad Khatami in Beirut on Tuesday indicated Muslims' awakening, Ayatollah Emami Kashani said.

Ayatollah Emami Kashani also warned of plots being hatched by the "global arrogance" to weaken the Iranian youth's beliefs.

"The American government seeks to undermine religious beliefs of our youth and our values. May the Imam of age (Imam Mahdi) protect them from any deviation," he said.

Shia Muslims believe Imam Mahdi will emerge from occultation and usher in a rule of justice one-day, IRNA reported.