Iranian media reported on Sunday that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, expressed his gratitude to the people of Iraq in a written message for their support during the conflict with the United States and Israel.
Iranian media reported on Sunday that Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has, in a written message, thanked the people of Iraq for their support in the war against the United States and Israel.
Mojtaba Khamenei—the son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an airstrike at the onset of the war on February 28—has not yet appeared in public despite his name having emerged, and he has issued only a few written statements.
His failure to appear in person has fueled intense speculation regarding his condition and whereabouts; however, state television and certain Iranian officials have indicated that he is recovering from injuries sustained in the airstrike.
The ISNA news agency reported that, in a message, Khamenei “praised the highest religious authority [in Iraq] and the people of Iraq for their clear stance against the aggression directed at Iran and for their support of our country,” referring to Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who resides in Iraq and is one of the most revered figures in Shia Islam.
It was stated that this message was delivered following a meeting between the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq—a Shia party—and the Iranian ambassador in Baghdad.
No further details were provided regarding how the message was conveyed.
Following his designation, Mojtaba Khamenei has issued his first statement as supreme leader, along with a message for the Persian New Year, Nowruz.
Both statements—read out on television by a different speaker—predicted victory in the war.
State media regularly publishes photographs of Mojtaba Khamenei, though it does not specify whether they are recent. He also maintains his own official accounts on Telegram and X.
Last week, US President Donald Trump stated that Washington is dealing with a “top person” in its negotiations with Iran, but he clarified that this individual is not the Supreme Leader.
“We haven’t heard anything from the son,” Trump said. “We don’t know whether he is alive or not.”
Mojtaba Khamenei is the third Supreme Leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, succeeding his father and the revolution’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.