In a weekend statement, Iran's new Supreme Leader declared that avenging the assassination of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei by Israel and the US is a national imperative and a 'demand of the nation,' according to Iranian state-aligned channels.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a new statement Saturday evening, calling revenge for his father's assassination a "national imperative" and a "demand of the nation." The statement follows a series of declarations earlier Saturday that escalated from gratitude to broad threats, and it marks the latest in a day of intensifying rhetoric.
The thread of statements began Saturday at 12:31 Jerusalem, when Khamenei thanked funeral attendees and vowed that revenge is "certain." Within minutes, he issued further statements describing revenge as a "divine mission," demanding it be carried out "soon," threatening that perpetrators would not die peacefully, and asserting that the campaign is not dependent on his survival. By 12:31, he also claimed that "free people of the world" would fulfill the mission. As The Zioneer reported earlier, a written directive was published after his father's funeral.
The statements come amid a broader campaign of retaliation rhetoric. As The Zioneer reported on June 28, Khamenei declared a "legal war" and ordered Iranian courts to prosecute US and Israeli leaders. On June 29, the hardline daily Kayhan called for the assassination of President Trump. On July 5, the army chief pledged allegiance to Khamenei and vowed revenge. These developments form the backdrop to the current escalation.
The new statement, like its predecessors, does not specify a timeline or method for carrying out the revenge. All claims remain unverified beyond the state-aligned channels that carried them.
13 developments
- StrongIran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei declares legal war, orders mass prosecution of US, Israeli leaders
- StrongIran's judiciary chief vows revenge for Khamenei's death, calls for massive funeral
- StrongIranian Commander-in-Chief Amir Hatami Vows Revenge for Khamenei
- StrongIran's army chief threatens revenge for Khamenei, pledges loyalty to new supreme leader
Source and signal
- Internal intake