Israel & Saudi Arabia Normalization: Khamenei Is Nervous

Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei unveiled a new hashtag, #No2Normalization, to express opposition to a possible normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel. With a drumbeat of reports suggesting that a deal could come soon, Khamenei sounds nervous about what that would mean for his country’s ambitions.

“Governments in West Asian region that ignored Zionist regime’s crimes & extended a hand of friendship to it should be awaiting their own people rising up against them. #No2Normalization” he said in a post to X today. (The Iranian government refers to the Middle East as West Asia.) He also said that, while nations in the region are arrayed against the “Zionist regime” today, they’ll be “against their own” governments if normalization happens.

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Jimmy Quinn

Jimmy Quinn is the former national security correspondent for National Review.

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Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei unveiled a new hashtag, #No2Normalization, to express opposition to a possible normalization agreement between Saudi Arabia and Israel. With a drumbeat of reports suggesting that a deal could come soon, Khamenei sounds nervous about what that would mean for his country’s ambitions.

“Governments in West Asian region that ignored Zionist regime’s crimes & extended a hand of friendship to it should be awaiting their own people rising up against them. #No2Normalization” he said in a post to X today. (The Iranian government refers to the Middle East as West Asia.) He also said that, while nations in the region are arrayed against the “Zionist regime” today, they’ll be “against their own” governments if normalization happens.