Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has issued his first message since assuming the country’s highest political and religious office earlier this week. The message was read out on Iranian state television on Thursday and was also published through official channels linked to the Iranian leadership.
Khamenei has not appeared in public since Sunday, when Iranian authorities announced that he had taken over the leadership role following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the opening phase of the US and Israeli bombardment campaign against Iran.
Injured during the first day of strikes
According to a source familiar with the situation cited by CNN, Mojtaba Khamenei suffered a fractured foot and minor injuries during the first day of the military strikes.
Iran’s ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, told the Guardian newspaper that the new supreme leader was injured in the same airstrike that killed his father along with five other members of the Khamenei family.
The attack marked a dramatic escalation in the conflict and created an immediate leadership transition at the top of Iran’s political system.
Handwritten message released
Iranian state media also released an image through the official Telegram channel of the new supreme leader showing what they said was Mojtaba Khamenei’s handwriting.
The image contained a list of the three men who have served as Iran’s supreme leader since the establishment of the Islamic Republic: Ruhollah Khomeini, Ali Khamenei, and Mojtaba Khamenei.
Below the names was a short phrase written in Persian:
“In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
The phrase traditionally appears at the beginning of most chapters of the Quran and is often used to mark the beginning of a new message or declaration.
Source: CNN