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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's official news agency is quoting the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (hah-meh-neh-EE'), as calling the recent Paris attacks "blind terrorism."
The comments, reported by the IRNA news agency Sunday, were Khamenei's first reaction to the attacks, in which extremist jihadists killed 130 people and injured scores of others. The government had previously condemned the attacks immediately after they occurred.
Khamenei said "the bitter events brought about by blind terrorism in France" moved him to issue the statement. He said he has also been "disturbed" by bloodshed between Israel and the Palestinians and as well as violence by the Islamic State group in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.
Iran does not recognize Israel and supports anti-Israeli groups like Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah.
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