A Muslim cleric with ties to the Iranian leadership has condemned the killing of civilians “of any faith, whether Jewish, Muslim or Christian.” Sayed Safavi, whose brother is the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, also implicitly recognized the State of Israel in a letter to London’s Daily Telegraph newspaper, and called for religious leaders to have a “central and major role” in promoting peace between peoples. It is rare for a hard-line Iranian cleric to make such a declaration.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.