Iranian Supreme Leader Seyed Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that the US military presence in the Middle East indicated its passive positions against the awakening of regional countries, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"The US military presence around Iran may in appearance indicate its power, but an analytical look at the developments in the region shows that the US has taken passive positions against the Islamic awakening movement," Khamenei was quoted as saying.

Khamenei made the remarks in a speech at a ceremony of the 16th demise anniversary of the founding father of the Islamic Republic Ruhollah Musavi Khomeini.

Khamenei said that the failure of the so-called Great Middle East Initiative proposed by Washington to promote the westernized democracy in the region was a sign of such positions pursued by the US government to control struggles of Muslim nations against its hegemony.

"The Americans know that they have no future in the Islamic world. For this reason, they have resorted to passive positions to stop the Islamic awakening of nations from becoming revolutionary movements and also to delay the unquestionable triumph of nations," he said.

Khamenei called on all Muslim countries to keep united under the "plots of the enemies."

"All Muslim nations, particularly the people of Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, must promote their unity and solidarity and be aware of the plots of the enemies of Islam to foment discord among them," Khamenei said.

Khamenei said that Khomeini had a significant contribution to weakening US dominance over the region.

"Khomeini's success in establishing the Islamic Republic in Iran and initiating the awakening movement among Muslim nations had led the US to take actions to rein in this movement through passive positions," Khamenei said.

Iran and the United States have been exchanging hostility since the outbreak of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, which was led by Khomeini.

The United States has in recent years accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons and sponsoring terrorists, labeling it as part of "the Axis of Evil."

In return, Tehran terms Washington as "the enemy of Islam," calling on Muslim countries to rise up against the US presence in the Middle East.

Source: Xinhua