Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that Iran was defeating the enemies of the Islamic Republic and dealt a “stunning blow” to its enemies. He stated this in a challenging written message to the nation for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.
The lengthy statement was posted on Khamenei’s Telegram channel and carried by Iran’s state media – marking his last message since his father Ali Khamenei was killed in an airstrike at the start of the war on February 28, AFP reported.
“At this moment, thanks to the special unity that has been created among you, our compatriots – despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural and political origins – the enemy has been defeated,” the portal quoted Khamenei as saying in a report.
Khamenei’s message comes as the Israel-US-Iran conflict nears the end of its third week.
Conflict between Israel, USA and Iran
Iran has launched a wave of retaliatory attacks following joint US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic Republic. Explosions were heard in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and other key Middle Eastern centers where US military bases are also located.
Iran is also attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz – a critical oil transit corridor.
Trump urged US allies to help restore shipping through Hormuz – and called on states that rely on the key choke point to do their part to protect the waterway.
Earlier, in an interview with MS Now – Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi said the strait remains open to all countries except its “enemies”.
Message of Mojtaba Khamenei
In his message, Khamenei said that Israel and the United States have an “illusion” that if Ali Khamenei and other military leaders are killed, they will create “fear and despair” and “realize the dream of taking control of Iran and then dividing it.”
He also said Iran and its allied forces in the region were “in no way” behind the attacks on Oman and Turkey during the war, instead blaming “deception by the Zionist enemy” referring to Israel, AFP reported.
On Friday, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) reportedly withdrew several hundred personnel from Iraq amid the ongoing conflict between the US, Israel and Iran. Their withdrawal comes in the wake of Iranian attacks targeting British, French and Italian bases in Iraq.
