Iran’s New Ayatollah Vows to Open ‘Other Fronts’ Against the West

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei made his first statement on Thursday as Iran’s new Supreme Leader, vowing continued struggle against the “infidels” – referring to the USA and Israel.

Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in an Israeli air raid on February 28; the same day that Israel and the US launched “Operation Epic Fury” – a joint war against the Islamic Republic.

Just over a week later, on Sunday March 8, his 56-year-old son Mojtaba Khamenei was officially appointed as the country’s new leader.

The “Zionist Ordeal”

On Thursday, the first statement from the new Ayatollah was published. However, Khamenei did not deliver the speech himself; instead, it was read by news presenters on state media channels.

Mojtaba Khamenei begins his address by praising Allah, saying he feels reverence for the task he has been given to lead the country forward.

– For me, it is a difficult task to assume the place where two great leaders have sat: The great Khomeini and the martyr Khamenei, he says.

He goes on to say that he has not only lost his father in the ongoing war, but that his wife, one of his sisters, the sister’s child, and a brother-in-law have also been killed by the bombings.

The Ayatollah hopes for a swift end to the “Zionist ordeal.”

– What makes it possible, even easier, to endure these trials is to think of Allah’s sure and indisputable promise of a great reward for those who are patient, he says.

American aircraft carrier / Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Photo: U.S. Navy J. Alexander Delgado / : Tasnim News Agency

The Ramadan War

When Israel and the USA launched their attack on Iran, the fasting month of Ramadan had begun. The fact that the two countries chose to attack the Islamic Republic during the holiest festival for Muslims gives the war an extra religious dimension.

In Iran, the war has simply come to be called the Ramadan War. It is seen as an attack not just on Iran or its regime, but on Islam as a religion and on Muslims around the world. And this is something the new Ayatollah is seeking to exploit.

He extends a hand to other Muslim countries in the region, appealing for “mutual and friendly relations.” He also urges them to expel the US military from their countries.

– I recommend that they close these bases as soon as possible, since by now they must have realized that America’s claims of preserving security and peace have been nothing but a lie, he says.

– This will make it possible for them to strengthen ties with their own peoples, who are generally dissatisfied with their governments cooperating with the front of infidelity and with its humiliating behavior.

Strait of Hormuz Still Blocked

At the same time, Mojtaba Khamenei warns, Arab countries that continue to host US bases must be prepared for attacks from Iran—in order to target those who “kill our people.”

Moreover, Iran will continue its efforts to blockade the Strait of Hormuz. Besides Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq also depend on the strait for their oil exports. About one fifth of the world’s oil production passes through it, and the blockade has caused fuel prices to soar :censored:6:cdd6bbaa89:ly.

But the Iranian regime is also looking for other ways to strike back at the attackers.

– We are also looking at the possibility of opening other fronts where the enemy has very little experience and where it will be extremely vulnerable, says Mojtaba Khamenei, who in his speech praises the Islamic Revolutionary Guard’s retaliatory attacks:

– They have freed them from the illusion of being able to take control over and divide our beloved homeland, says Mojtaba Khamenei.