Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to avenge the killing of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, declaring that those responsible for his death would face retribution as tensions continue to threaten a fragile ceasefire.
In his first public statement since funeral rites for his father began a week ago, Mojtaba Khamenei said revenge was inevitable and would involve not only Iran but also what he described as “free people around the world.”
Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on February 28, at the outset of the conflict.
“We pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and disgraced killers,” the statement read.
It further declared: “Whether we are there or not, this will be accomplished, and soon every free person around the world will fulfill a part of this divine mission.”
Mojtaba Khamenei has remained out of public view since assuming office as Iran’s supreme leader on March 8. Reports from senior sources indicate that he sustained facial disfigurement and other injuries during the airstrike that killed his father.
His prolonged absence has fuelled speculation within Iran, with some citizens calling on the country’s new leader to make a public appearance despite reports of his injuries.
The statement comes as renewed clashes between US and Iranian forces have raised concerns over the durability of a ceasefire that brought an end to the four-month conflict. Despite the latest hostilities, Donald Trump said on Friday that Washington and Tehran had agreed to continue diplomatic talks.
Mojtaba Khamenei assumed the position of supreme leader with the backing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards following the death of his father, who led the country for 37 years before being laid to rest at one of Iran’s holiest shrines after a state funeral.
