Tehran – 11 July 2026: Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has announced retaliation following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei. In a public message, he said that revenge for the spilled blood of his father and others who were killed would be inevitable. The statement comes at a time of continuing military tensions between Iran, Israel and the United States.
Ali Khamenei, who had led Iran as Supreme Leader since 1989, was killed on 28 February 2026 during the first Israeli-American attacks on Iran. Iranian state media subsequently confirmed his death. The 86-year-old was the central political and religious authority of the Islamic Republic and wielded considerable influence over the country’s armed forces, security agencies and strategic foreign policy.
Mojtaba Khamenei s쳮ded his father after his death but has made few public appearances since the start of the war. According to reports, he was injured in the attack on the family compound. His newly released statement is therefore also a political signal to the domestic audience: the leadership in Tehran wants to demonstrate that it remains capable of acting, even though state and military structures are under considerable pressure from the attacks.
The announcement was made during several days of mourning ceremonies for Ali Khamenei. At these events, calls for retaliation against the United States and Israel were heard. The precise meaning of Mojtaba Khamenei’s message initially remained unclear. Neither the timing nor the form of possible Iranian measures was specified. Nevertheless, the threat increases the risk of further attacks or an expansion of hostilities in the region.
At the same time, the United States reported new military strikes against Iranian targets. Washington justified them by citing attacks on civilian vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. The strait, which is important for global energy trade, has been a central theatre since the start of the conflict. Attacks on merchant ships and military countermeasures have heightened concerns about a prolonged disruption of key sea routes.
The government in Tehran portrays Ali Khamenei’s death as an attack on the country’s state sovereignty and religious leadership. Israel and the United States, by contrast, see their operations in connection with military threats posed by Iran. No immediate diplomatic easing is in sight. International observers are now focusing particularly on possible Iranian responses and on the safety of shipping in the Persian Gulf.
Sources
- Associated Press
- Axios
- Franceinfo