Iran’s Khamenei tells Gulf rulers to confront ‘real enemy’ for Islamic Unity Week
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Iran ’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has urged Muslim nations, particularly those in the Gulf , to unite against their "real enemy", warning that divisions among Muslims serve the interests of their adversaries. The statement was published on Khamenei’s Telegram account to mark Islamic Unity Week, which commemorates the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. Advocating mutual defence and joint cooperation across various fields, it warned that anyone creating division among Muslims, "knowingly or unknowingly," ultimately assists the enemies of Islam. The message also questioned whether Palestinians would have been left "so helpless" if Muslims had been united. Khamenei has not been seen in public since being injured in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes six months ago that launched the Iran war and killed his father and previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. His call echoes comments made to Iranians on Friday, when he banned actions harming social cohesion and instructed authorities to avoid "discouraging statements" that weaken public and national morale. open image in gallery A pro-government demonstrator holds up a poster of the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the U.S. and Israel strike on Feb. 28, during a gathering in a square in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi) ( AP ) Khamenei specifically asked Gulf Arab rulers whether "rogues without identity" would have dared to covet their lands and possessions if the peoples and governments of the Gulf had been "united under the flag of Islam." Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Gulf Arab monarchies have viewed Iran's revolutionary ideology, including its anti-monarchic rhetoric and regional influence, as a threat to their political systems. During the present conflict, Tehran has struck U.S. military facilities as well as other infrastructure in Gulf states, underscoring the tensions between Tehran and its Gulf neighbours. "My emphatic and repeated recommendation to the rulers of Islamic countries, especially the countries of West Asia and the Gulf, is to identify your real enemy, understand his plan and confront it," Khamenei said.