Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said the “disgrace” that is Western politics on Gaza led to the self-immolation of US airman Aaron Bushnell, Al Jazeera reports.

“This means that this is heavy even for a young person who has been brought up in that culture, even his conscience is offended,” he said during an address.

“Although 1,000 people should have set themselves on fire instead of one, being drowned in corruption is preventing this. Just one person has accidentally had their conscience awakened and self-immolated.”

This, Khamenei said, shows that “Western culture” has laid itself bare, displaying “how corrupt, perverse and cruel it is”.