Museum Expresses Grave Concern about Iranian Leader's Assertion of Israel's Demise

Washington, DC—Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s declaration today regarding Israel’s demise within the next quarter century is simply the most recent example of Iranian leadership threatening the Jewish State. It is part of a long-standing trend of dangerous pronouncements issued by Iranian political and religious leaders concerning Israel and the Holocaust, propagating the most flagrant form of state-sponsored antisemitism in recent times.  

A decade ago, then President Ahmadinejad declared, “Israel must be wiped off the map.” That same year, he called the Holocaust “a myth.” In 2006, the Iranian government held a conference to showcase Holocaust deniers. In 2008, Ahmadinejad asserted, “Iran will support Hamas until the destruction of Israel.” Earlier this year, under the supervision of the Supreme Leader, Iran sponsored its second cartoon contest questioning the historical truth of the Holocaust.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum strongly condemns these outrageous remarks and calls on leaders worldwide to unequivocally repudiate them.