'Right side of history': Iran Supreme Leader thanks campus protesters, calls them 'The Resistance'

Iran's Supreme Leader Sayyed Ali Khamenei told pro-Palestinian American students they "are standing on the right side of history," in a letter directly addressing them.

"You have now formed a branch of the Resistance Front and have begun an honorable struggle in the face of your government's ruthless pressure - which openly supports Zionists," Khamenei wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that was part of his letter published Thursday

For weeks, students on several campuses across America gathered to protest the Israel-Hamas War, calling for a ceasefire and their schools to divest from businesses tied to Israel.

In his letter and posts Thursday, Khamenei said the actions are a part of a broader "Resistance Front," whose goal he said is "to put an end to the blatant oppression that the brutal Zionist terrorist network has inflicted on (Palestine) for many years."

"I assure you that today the circumstances are changing," he wrote. "The people's conscience has awakened on a global scale & truth is coming to light. Besides you students from dozens of universities in U.S., there have also been uprisings in other countries among academics & general public."

Khamenei also advised the students "to become familiar with the Quran."

His praise sparked swift backlash and other reactions online, including from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

"When you’ve won the Ayatollah, you’ve lost America," Johnson wrote in a post on X.

USA TODAY has contacted multiple student groups but none have been reached for comment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Iran Supreme Leader praises US college students for protests