Iran’s New Supreme Leader Issues a Statement but Remains Unseen

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, marked the Persian new year and the end of Ramadan with a public statement, but he has not appeared on video and has not been seen or heard in public since being named almost two weeks earlier after an Israeli airstrike killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

“War in theMiddle East Advertisement Supported by Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has remained out of the public’s sight since assuming the post, amid reports that he was badly wounded”

New York Times

U.S. Pentagon officials have said they believe he was seriously wounded in the same bombing campaign.

New York Times

The statement was printed in full by Iranian media and read on state television.

In the message, he denied that Iran or its proxies were responsible for recent strikes in Turkey and Oman, portraying the claims as a false flag operation by Israel.

He did not address the more numerous attacks on other Persian Gulf neighbors that Western observers attribute to Iran.

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NATO air defenses have intercepted Iranian missiles fired over Turkey, while drones have targeted Omani ports and other facilities.

He pledged to address Iran’s dire economy, citing double-digit inflation, high unemployment, and a weakening currency.

“War in theMiddle East Advertisement Supported by Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has remained out of the public’s sight since assuming the post, amid reports that he was badly wounded”

New York Times

He said he often travels incognito by taxi to listen to ordinary Iranians’ concerns, and that the government has created an effective plan to fix the problems, which would be ready for action soon.

He declared the coming Iranian year’s slogan as a resistance economy under the shadow of national unity and national security.

The broadcast echoed his father’s use of the term resistance economy to emphasize self-sufficiency under sanctions.

Officials framed the economy in terms of resilience and independence, signaling continuity with the past leadership’s approach.

New York Times