As the US and Iran prepare for Tuesday’s talks, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei calls on the judiciary to restore the nation’s rights | Today’s news
As tensions between the US and Iran escalated last week, Tehran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei reportedly called on the Islamic Republic’s judiciary to uphold and restore the nation’s rights, Press TV reported Monday.
Khamenei made the remarks on the anniversary of the martyrdom of Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti and his companions, marked as Justice Week, and asked the judiciary to restore rights that were violated as a result of the US-Israel war last year, according to Press TV.
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In Sunday’s report, Mojtaba Khameneiste stressed that one of the key legal challenges facing Iran is the enforcement of justice and the restoration of rights that he said were violated by foreign powers, which he characterized as “international criminals and arrogant and aggressive powers,” Press TV reported.
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Mojtaba Khamenei called on Iran’s judiciary to restore the nation’s rights and take legal action against the US and Israel for crimes it claims were committed during recent conflicts.
Khamenei believes that protecting the rights of Iranians includes not only individual legal matters, but also the defense of the nation’s collective rights against the crimes of foreign aggressors.
Khamenei cites the physical, psychological, material and spiritual damage caused to Iran as the reason for hundreds or thousands of legal cases against the US and Israel.
Khamenei’s statements followed renewed hostilities and strikes between the US and Iran, creating a context in which he felt compelled to address the role of the judiciary in the pursuit of justice.
Khamenei urges the judiciary to actively seek legal redress in domestic and international courts for violations by foreign powers.
He added that protecting the rights of Iranians goes beyond individual legal matters and includes defending the nation’s collective rights against crimes committed by foreign aggressors. Reminding the judiciary of its responsibilities, Khamenei said it is tasked with protecting civil rights, protecting public liberties and legitimate liberties, fighting corruption, ensuring justice, enforcing religious laws and ensuring proper law enforcement.
Iran’s supreme leader calls for legal action over war crimes
Recalling the two offensive wars waged by the US and Israel in June 2025 and February this year, Khamenei said the blood of those killed in the two wars, along with the physical, psychological, material and spiritual damage caused to Iran and its people in the country and people living abroad, is the basis for hundreds or thousands of legal cases, Press TV reported.
He also cited the killing of children and unprecedented war crimes in Minab and Lamerd, attacks on health centers and public service centers and the deaths of victims ranging from newborns to the elderly.
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According to Press TV, to bolster his case, Khamenei argued that several American and Israeli leaders have acknowledged and even publicly boasted about them in the past, which may constitute admissions of crimes that could further strengthen the legal basis for restoring the Islamic Republic’s violated rights.
His remarks came just days after the US and Iran traded fresh strikes, again putting an already fragile truce at risk.
US-Iran trade strikes, blame each other for violations
On June 26, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a post on X that it had launched strikes targeting Iranian sites in response to a drone attack on a Singapore-flagged vessel near the Strait of Hormuz the day before.
US President Donald Trump has accused Tehran of violating the ceasefire by targeting a commercial vessel. In the Truth Social post, he wrote: “One of the drones hit the upper deck of a large and very expensive cargo ship firmly,” adding that three others were shot down. He went on to say, “It is clear that this is a foolish violation of our cease-fire agreement.”
After the US strikes, Tehran retaliated and launched strikes on US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait on 28 June. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also threatened to “completely halt” talks to end the war if Washington continues its attacks.
Read also | US and Iran agree to end strikes; meet in Qatar, official says
Following the tit-for-tat attacks, a senior US official told Axios that the two sides had agreed to end strikes in the region and resume talks in the Qatari capital on Tuesday. The talks, which were previously scheduled to take place in Switzerland and focus on negotiations to end the war, will now focus on issues surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
