Khamenei: Iran not calling for elimination of Jews, wants non-sectarian Israel

Iran is not calling for the elimination of Jewish people, but it thinks people of all religions should decide Israel's future, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday in a speech posted on his official website.

"Calling for the elimination of the state of Israel does not mean the elimination of the Jewish people ... it means that the people of Palestine - be they Muslim, Christian or Jewish - should choose their own government," Khamenei told an Islamic conference in Tehran.

Since its Islamic Revolution in 1979 Iran has refused to recognize Israel and has backed militant Palestinian groups.