Iran doesn't want death of all Jews: Khamenei
Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is saying that his country doesn't want the death of all Jews.
At a news conference on Friday (November 15) he said, quote, "Calling for the elimination of the state of Israel does not mean the elimination of the Jewish people," and, that, "it means that the people of Palestine - be they Muslim, Christian or Jewish - should choose their own government."
The comments come as Iran struggles to keep the 2015 nuclear agreement alive with its remaining signatories after the U.S. pulled out -- that is China, European powers, and Russia.
European powers and Russia both with high Jewish populations.
Israeli flag-burning is a common sight at Iranian protests, though.
And, Iran is often accused of anti-semitism both in its politics and on the street -- a charge it has denied in the past.
Iran is also believed to have the highest Jewish population in the Middle East outside of Israel -- between 10 and 20,000 people.
Earlier this year Khamenei said that the "Death to America" chant common at Iranian protests doesn't really mean death to Americans, either.
It means death to American foreign policy and death to President Donald Trump, too.
Meanwhile on Friday the Iranian government began introducing gasoline rationing and a tax hike on fuel.
Iran's oil sector has been hit hard by international sanctions.
