President Ebrahim Raeisi has met with anti-Zionist rabbis in New York, to which he has travelled to attend the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The Iranian chief executive met with rabbis from the Neturei Karta religious group, which opposes Zionism and calls for dismantling of Israel, on Wednesday.
“Zionists seek to tarnish the image of Judaism. This is while we believe that the Jews are different from Zionists,” Raeisi said, appreciating the group’s mission of differentiating between their religious faith and Zionism.
“We have no problem with Judaism and Torah,” the president said, noting that the Jews are free to practice their religious duties in Iran.
“Our problem is with Zionists,” Raeisi said, and opined that the Islamic Republic opposes oppressing people under the guise of whatever religion.
“It is for this reason that we do not consider the [Takfiri terrorist group of] Daesh to be Muslim…the atrocities that Daesh perpetrated are not approved by any Muslim…”
For his part, one of the rabbis appreciated the freedom that the Islamic Republic has offered the Jewry in the country, and asserted that “Zionism has nothing to do with our religion and belief.”
