Tehran, IRNA – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has underlined the need for forming a coalition against the bullying of the United States and the Western countries by world states who share views in this regard. 

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting in Tehran on Monday with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel. 

The Supreme Leader noted that this coalition, which he believed has to fucus on economic cooperation, can influence significant world issues such as the Palestinian issue. 

Reiterating that the Palestinian issue is not confined to the recent events in Gaza, Ayatollah Khamenei said that the Palestinian people have been suffering from different types of torture and massacre over the past 75 years.  

The Supreme Leader also referred to his meeting with the late Fidel Castro 22 years ago, praising his honesty in expressing his revolutionary stances. 

Ayatollah Khamenei added that the Cuban Revolution and the character of Mr. Castro have been attractive for the Iranian revolutionary people even before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. 

The Cuban president, for his part, said that the stances of the Supreme Leader are in the same line with the concerns of the Cuban government. 

Noting that the relations between Iran and Cuba have been on the right track after the Islamic Revolution, Díaz-Canel said that he is making every effort to further deepen the relations between the two countries in different areas, particularly in the areas of trade and economy. 

He stressed that Tehran and Havana can complement each other in various fields, especially in dealing with interventionist actions and sanctions by the United States and its allies.

The Cuban president also touched upon the grave situation in Gaza and said that what is going on in the Gaza Strip today is an unacceptable genocide. 

He criticized the international organizations for turning a blind eye on the massacre of tens of thousands of people in Gaza two thirds of whom he said are women and children.

Earlier today, the Cuban president met Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi where seven cooperation documents were signed between the two countries.

He also had a meeting with Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.

The visit of a Cuban president to Tehran takes place 22 years after Fidel Castro, the then president of the country, paid a visit to Tehran. 

President Raisi visited Havana earlier this year upon an invitation by his Cuban counterpart.

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