Iran's newly appointed supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Jamenei, stressed this Thursday in his first official message after assuming command, following the assassination of his father, Ali Jamenei, during the offensive launched on February 28 by the United States and Israel, that Tehran “will avenge the blood of the martyrs” and praised the role of the Armed Forces for “blocking the enemy's path with crushing blows”.
The statement, disseminated by Mojtaba Jamenei's office through social media, states that Iranian forces “have taken away from the enemies the hope of dominating the homeland and possibly dividing it” and emphasizes that “the lever of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used,” in allusion to the attacks against ships in the area as part of Tehran's response to said offensive.
Jamenei, who has remembered his father and the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ruholá Jamenei, has highlighted the actions of “the fighters of the resistance front”, alluding to the Shiite party-militia Hezbollah, the Houthis of Yemen and other pro-Iranian militias in Iraq, and has urged neighboring countries to “expel the invaders” from their bases, warning that they will continue to be targets of attacks by Iran.
Shortly before, Khamenei's office had announced the imminent dissemination of a “strategic message” articulated in “seven important sections”, among which it mentions “the martyred leader of the Revolution -in reference to Ali Khamenei-, the role and duties of the people, the Armed Forces, executive bodies, the resistance front and the countries of the region, and the fight against enemies”.
Mojtaba Jamenei was designated on Sunday by the Assembly of Experts as his father's successor, assassinated on February 28 at the beginning of the United States and Israel offensive. Also killed in the attack were Ali Khamenei's wife, Mansoureh Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, and several family members, including his daughter and one of his granddaughters.
According to Iranian authorities, the joint military operation has so far caused more than 1,200 deaths in the country. Among the victims, besides the supreme leader, are several ministers and high-ranking commanders of the Iranian Army, which has reacted by launching missiles and drones against Israel and against American interests in various Middle Eastern countries, including military bases.