Iran's Supreme Leader issued a new written statement Saturday afternoon demanding that revenge for the killing of his father Ali Khamenei 'must certainly be carried out,' according to reports on Iranian Telegram channels. The statement marks an escalation in urgency over earlier calls.
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a new written statement at 14:02 Jerusalem time on Saturday, demanding that revenge for the killing of his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, "must certainly be carried out." The statement, published on Iranian Telegram channels, marks a further hardening of language compared to his previous statement less than an hour earlier.
At 13:59 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Khamenei had issued a statement demanding revenge "must be carried out soon." That statement itself followed earlier reports at 12:31 Jerusalem from multiple sources, including Israeli outlets N12 and ynet, which first reported that Khamenei had issued a written message demanding revenge as a "demand of the nation." The language has escalated from "must absolutely" to "must be carried out soon" to "must certainly be carried out" over the course of the afternoon.
The new leader has been issuing increasingly urgent calls for retaliation since his father's assassination in an Israeli strike. As The Zioneer reported on June 28, Khamenei declared a legal war, ordering Iranian courts to prosecute senior US and Israeli officials. Background context from the desk's archive also includes earlier vows of revenge from Iran's army chief and judiciary chief, as well as unverified reports of Khamenei's appearance at the funeral.
No additional details on the timing or nature of the promised revenge have been provided in the latest statement. It remains unclear whether the escalation in rhetoric signals an imminent operational response or a continued emphasis on legal and diplomatic avenues.
11 developments
- StrongIran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei declares legal war, orders mass prosecution of US, Israeli leaders
- StrongIran's army chief threatens revenge for Khamenei, pledges loyalty to new supreme leader
- StrongIran's judiciary chief vows revenge for Khamenei's death, calls for massive funeral
- StrongUnverified reports: Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei appeared at father's funeral events
Source and signal
- Internal intake