— 🇺🇸/🇮🇱 NOTE: After the collapse of the World Trade Center, in which nearly 3,000 Americans died, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the 9/11 attacks ‘very good’ and said it would strengthen the bond between Israel and the United States
Reported in a New York Times article, archived and accessible here.
— 🇺🇸/🇮🇷 What was Iran's reaction to the September 11 attacks?
The morning following 9/11, thousands of Iranians gathered in the streets of the capital Tehran to hold a candlelight vigil for the victims. According to eyewitnesses, the vigil lasted for several miles.
At Tehran's largest soccer stadium, a crowd of 60,000 people observed a minute of silence and recited prayers for those killed, before the start of Iran's World Cup qualification match.
On the same day, the Iranian President at the time, Mohammad Khatami, said the following: 'On behalf of the Iranian people and the Islamic Republic of Iran, I denounce this terrorist act, which led to the killing of defenseless people, and I express my deepest sorrow and sympathy with the American people.'
The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also commented on the attack: 'Islam condemns the massacre of defenseless people, whether Muslim or Christian or others, anywhere and by any means. However, this act should not be used as a pretext to carry out any attack on Afghanistan, which will lead to another human tragedy.'