Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued his first written statement since his father’s funeral, vowing to avenge the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In the statement, Mojtaba declared that revenge is “the demand of the nation” and pledged that it would inevitably be carried out. However, he added that achieving this goal would not depend solely on Iran but also on “free people around the world.”
“We pledge to avenge the blood of our fallen leader and all the martyrs of these two wars against the criminal and despicable killers,” he said in the statement, as quoted by Reuters.
The vow of retaliation comes amid heightened tensions in the region. In recent days, the United States and Iran have exchanged a series of military strikes, including Washington’s attacks on three locations in Tehran and Iran’s strikes on U.S. military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump had declared that the ceasefire agreed upon on June 17 had ended. However, on Friday, Trump stated that both countries had agreed to continue negotiations.
Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S. and Israeli airstrike on February 28, 2026, the first day of the war. His son, Mojtaba, was inaugurated as Iran’s new Supreme Leader on March 8, 2026.
Mojtaba assumed the position with the backing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s most influential military force. Ali Khamenei had led Iran for 37 years before his death.
Despite taking office, Mojtaba has not appeared in public since his inauguration. No photographs, videos, or audio recordings of him have been released by any party since the attack.
Senior sources have reportedly stated that Mojtaba suffered facial injuries and other wounds during the strike.
His prolonged absence has fueled concerns among the Iranian public, with some citizens arguing that the country’s new leader should appear publicly even if he is still recovering from his injuries.***
Source: Reuters
