Newly appointed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued a written statement to the Iranian people on Friday, saying their vigilance and sacrifices delivered a “crippling blow” to “the enemy”.
Mojtaba Khamenei replaced his father, Ali Khamenei, as supreme leader after the ayatollah was killed at the start of the war. The younger Khamenei has not been seen publicly during the conflict and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said last week he was likely “wounded” in the strike.
The statement read on state TV from the younger Khamenei said “the enemy” had a “false assumption” that the killing top military figures “would create fear and despair among the people and enable their domination over Iran and eventual partition.“
“The enemy, America and Israel, have been repeatedly trying to inflict harm on the Iranian nation, but your resilience and widespread efforts have confused and weakened them,” the message said.
