TEHRAN, 12 April 2003 — Iran may be happy to see its arch-enemy Saddam Hussein ousted, but plans to replace the toppled leader with a US military ruler constitutes an “aggression against Islam”, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared Friday. And in comments likely to further anger Washington, the all-powerful leader called on Iraqi opposition groups not to commit a “historic disgrace” by collaborating with US-led coalition forces in the country. “Our position is the same as that of the Iraqi nation. The Iraqi nation is happy about Saddam’s departure and we are happy about Saddam’s departure,” Khamenei said.

But he added: “Happiness about Saddam’s departure has nothing to do with the arrival of the occupier,” and slammed US plans to install a military government in Baghdad. “We consider this to be an aggression against Islam,” he said. “The Iraqi people have not escaped from the dictatorship of Saddam only to come under the yoke of the bigger dictatorship of an American.”

Calling the US-led military campaign and presence in neighboring Iraq “an attack against Islam and Muslims,” Khamenei said Iran was happy at the fall of Saddam. Torn between its hatred for Saddam, whose forces used chemical weapons against Iranian forces during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, and its enmity for its other archfoe, the United States, Iran adopted a neutral stance in the war in Iraq.

“We didn’t help either side, but we’re happy of Saddam’s fall, like the Iraqi people are,” Khamenei said. Khamenei, who holds all the keys of power in Iran and has the final say on foreign policy, railed against the “military aggressor” and called the military occupation of Iraq “a return to colonialism, a reactionary, ugly and insulting move”.

The sermon was a reflection of mixed feelings in Iran, which suffered Iraqi invasion and chemical weapons attacks in the 1980s but continues to remain at odds with Washington. “To collaborate with the foreign forces is a historic disgrace, and I advise you not to cooperate with these foreign forces,” the all-powerful leader said in comments directed to “Iraqi political leaders”.

He also called on the Iraqi opposition to prevent “any situation of chaos or acts of vengeance that would give foreign forces a pretext to stay in Iraq.” He said that US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister had lied by stating they had attacked to country to liberate the Iraqi people. “They are looking after their own interests,” Khamenei said, calling on US and British troops to “immediately leave Iraq”.

“You have toppled Saddam, so if you respect democracy and liberty you should leave,” he said. “Out of 1,000 Iraqis, 900 say ‘Death to Saddam, Death to Bush’.” But despite calling for the undermining of the US-British presence next door, Khamenei asserted the Islamic republic was neutral. “I wish to state to Iranians that we have not helped any of the two parties, and the foreigners who spy with their satellites know this very well.”

Also yesterday, a group of around 50 protesters supporting an Iran-based Iraqi Shiite opposition group stormed Iraq’s Embassy in Tehran, before being forced out and taken away by riot police. The demonstrators, brandishing portraits of Supreme Assembly for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI) leader Ayatollah Muhammad Baqer Hakim, forced open the gate of the embassy despite attempts by police to hold them back.

The group then entered the embassy building — empty of any Iraqi diplomatic staff — smashing furniture and tearing up pictures of toppled Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein while shouting: “No to Saddam, no to foreign domination.” Protesters climbed over the walls, ransacked the villa and smashed windows and furniture. The occupation ended after three hours when police arrested about 50 people, including the protesters inside the building in Teheran’s Pol-e-Roumi residential district. No Iraqi diplomats were present at the time. Police confiscated films and cassettes of news photographers and television cameramen.

A small number of SAIRI supporters were seen trying to take away some documents, but were blocked by police. After around 20 minutes of ransacking, riot police managed to clear the group from the two-floor embassy building and began searching the demonstrators in the garden of the compound for any stolen documents.

With the situation under control, police brought in two buses and drove away the protesters. Officials did not say whether the group had been formally arrested or would be later released after their detention. Tight security was also seen around the British Embassy, recently the scene of a series of attacks by anti-war protesters.