Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, allegedly released his first statement Thursday vowing to use the “lever” of closing the Strait of Hormuz to international energy shipping — after reports circulated that he was in a coma and had his leg amputated after being severely injured in the US-Israeli strikes that killed his father and other family members.
The lengthy message was read out on Iranian state TV by an anchor as an image of Khameni was displayed on screen. No explanation was provided for why the 56-year-old did not appear or read out his purported words.
“I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,” the supreme leader said. “The retaliation we have in mind is not limited only to the martyrdom of the great leader of the revolution [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei]; rather, every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy constitutes a separate case in the file of revenge.”
“Our sincere thanks go to our brave fighters who, at a time when our nation and beloved homeland have been unjustly attacked by the leaders of the front of arrogance, have blocked the enemy’s path with their powerful blows and dispelled their illusion of being able to dominate our beloved country or possibly divide it,” he added.
Khameni, who specifically noted avenging those killed in the strike on the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school building in Minab, said Iran would “obtain compensation” from its enemy, meaning the US and Israel.
“If it refuses, we will take from its assets to the extent we deem appropriate, and if that is not possible, we will destroy its assets to the same extent,” he said.
The ayatollah also said that Iran would continue to attack its Gulf Arab neighbors, though he insisted Tehran was only targeting US military bases.
“The lever of closing the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be used as well. Studies have also been conducted on opening other fronts in which the enemy has little experience and would be highly vulnerable. Their activation will take place, if the wartime situation continues and in accordance with considerations of expediency,” Khamenei said.
The supreme leader, who was a no-show at his own succession rally in Tehran on Monday, still hasn’t been seen in public since he was appointed as his father’s successor in the wake of Ali Khamenei’s death in an Israeli strike just after the war began.
The statement came after an Iranian source claimed to The Sun that Khamenei was actually in a coma and undergoing intensive care at the Sina University Hospital in Tehran.
“One or two of his legs have been cut off. His liver or stomach has also ruptured. He is apparently in a coma as well,” the source alleged.
Other Iranian sources insisted Khamenei had only suffered minor injuries — including a fractured foot, bruised eye, and face lacerations during the initial wave of airstrikes — and was sheltering inside a highly secure location.
Khamenei, meanwhile, acknowledged the death of his father in Thursday’s statement, signaling he was present in the aftermath of the attack and saw his father’s body.
The new ayatollah also confirmed that his wife, one of his sisters, his niece, and the husband of his other sister died in the airstrike as well.
“I had the honor of seeing his body after his martyrdom,” Khamenei said of his father. “What I saw was a mountain of steadfastness, and I was told that the fist of his intact hand had been clenched.”
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