Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with the members of Iran’s Assembly of Experts on Thursday morning. The Assembly of Experts is a clerical body empowered to appoint and dismiss the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and monitor his performance.

The Leader said some enmities toward the Islamic Republic are “political enmity,” adding, “For example, the Islamic Republic pursues a stance on the Palestinian issue, and [world] powers have another position. [This] creates enmity.”

“These are not very important. The one that is more important is intrinsic enmity. The nature of the Islamic Republic creates this enmity,” he added.

The Leader warned that some Western countries use liberal democracy to dominate the world, emphasizing, however, that the Islamic Republic brings democracy and freedom along with religion.

Ayatollah Khamenei stated that a democracy based on religion leads to hostility because it foils the enemies’ conspiracies.

The Leader highlighted the remarkable popular power of the Islamic establishment which he said is “unique or rare in the world.”

Ayatollah Khamenei described the Iranian people’s huge turnout in the rallies to mark the 44th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution earlier this month as another sign of the nation’s support for the Islamic establishment.

The Leader added that the strong popular support for the Islamic establishment is a national asset, urging all to work tirelessly to preserve and increase it.