Iran war paralyzes oil trade, U.S. military plane crashes in Iraq

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first public message Thursday — but the statement came as a prepared message, with no speech, video or public appearance. 

Security around Iran’s leadership is extremely tight following the assassination of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in the opening phase of the war now spreading across the region. Mojtaba Khamenei has also spent much of his life operating quietly behind the scenes and has rarely spoken publicly. 

The statement is long and heavy on religious language. Its primary purpose appears to be stabilizing the Islamic Republic after one of the most dramatic moments in its history. The dominant theme of the message is continuity, with Mojtaba Khamenei maintaining a deliberately humble tone and spending a considerable amount of time positioning himself as the successor to his father and the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. 

The war itself is framed as defensive. Mojtaba Khamenei describes Iran as having been “unjustly attacked by the leaders of the arrogant front,” language that has long been used by Iranian leaders to describe Western powers and their regional allies. The U.S. is never named directly as a combatant, and America is only mentioned once indirectly. Israel is also not mentioned by name. Instead, Mojtaba Khamenei refers to what he calls “Zionist sedition,” language frequently used by Iranian officials when discussing Israel and the war in Gaza. 

Mojtaba Khamenei praises Iran’s regional partners in the message, signaling that the network of allied forces including the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon remain central to its regional strategy. There are also hints of economic pressure, with Mojtaba Khamenei saying that the “lever blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely continue to be used.” 

Despite the ideological language, there are also some practical signals embedded in the message.

He warns that foreign military bases will continue to be targeted if they are used to attack Iran, but says that the country still wants “warm and constructive relations” with its neighbors and insists that the Islamic Republic has no intention of dominating the region. 

Large parts of the speech are directed inward: Mojtaba Khamenei calls on Iranians to remain united, urges people to attend Quds Day events, and stresses that Iran will avenge those killed in the attacks, including his father. That language suggests a leadership preparing its population for a conflict that may last some time.