Supreme Leader Emphasizes People’s Power in Leadership

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, the first message from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyid Mujtaba Khamenei, has been released. The text of the message is as follows:

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

We do not abrogate a sign or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring one better than it or similar to it.

Peace be upon you, O caller to God and teacher of His signs, peace be upon you, O gate of God and judge of His religion, peace be upon you, O vicegerent of God and supporter of His truth, peace be upon you, O proof of God and guide to His will; peace be upon you, O awaited one; peace be upon you, with the most comprehensive peace; peace be upon you, O my Master, the Lord of the Age.

At the outset of my words, I must offer condolences to my Master, may God hasten his reappearance, on the sorrowful martyrdom of the great leader of the Revolution, the beloved and wise Khamenei. I request his prayers for each member of the great Iranian nation, indeed for all Muslims worldwide, all servants of Islam and the Revolution, the martyrs, and the bereaved families of the Islamic movement, especially the recent war, and for myself.

My second address is to the great Iranian nation. Initially, I must briefly state my position and stance regarding the vote of the esteemed Assembly of Experts. I, your servant, Sayyid Mujtaba Husseini Khamenei, became aware of the result of the vote of the esteemed Assembly of Experts simultaneously with you, through the Islamic Republic’s television. For me, occupying a position once held by two great leaders, Imam Khomeini and the martyred Khamenei, is a difficult task. This seat carries the legacy of someone who, after more than 60 years of striving in the path of God and foregoing all kinds of comforts and pleasures, became a radiant gem and a distinguished figure, not only in the current era but throughout the history of this country’s rulers. Both his life and his manner of death were intertwined with dignity and honor derived from adherence to truth.

I had the privilege of seeing his body after his martyrdom; what I saw was a mountain of steadfastness, and I heard that he had clenched his healthy fist. Regarding the various aspects of his personality, informed individuals will have much to say for a long time. For now, I will suffice with this brief mention and leave the details for other suitable occasions. This is why it is difficult to occupy the position of leadership after such a person. Completing this gap is only possible with the help of the Almighty and the support of you, the people.

Furthermore, I must emphasize a point that is directly related to the core of my message. One of the skills of the martyred leader and his great predecessor was involving the people in all arenas, continuously raising their awareness, and relying on their strength in action. In this way, they actualized the true meaning of the populace and republicanism, believing in it from the depths of their hearts. The clear effect of this was seen in the past few days when the country was without a leader and without a commander-in-chief. The insight and wisdom of the great Iranian nation in the recent incident, its steadfastness, courage, and presence, drew admiration from friends and bewilderment from enemies. It was you, the people, who led the country and guaranteed its authority.

The verse I recited at the beginning of this writing means that no divine sign is abrogated or forgotten unless God, the Exalted, brings one like it or better in its place. The reason for using this noble verse is not that I am comparable to the martyred leader, let alone considered superior; rather, the purpose of mentioning the blessed verse is to draw attention to the fitting and prominent role of you, the dear nation. If that great blessing is taken from us, in its place, the ‘Amr-like’ presence of the Iranian nation will be granted to this system again. Know this: if your power is not manifest on the scene, neither the leadership nor any of the various state apparatuses, whose true purpose is to serve the people, will have the necessary effectiveness. To better realize this, firstly, one must look to remembering Almighty God, relying on Him, and seeking intercession through the pure lights of the Infallibles (peace be upon them all), which are the greatest elixir and the most precious catalyst, guaranteeing all kinds of openings and certain victory over the enemy. This is a great advantage that you possess and your enemies lack.

Secondly, the unity among all segments and strata of the nation, which usually becomes particularly evident in times of hardship, must not be harmed. This can be achieved by setting aside points of disagreement.

Thirdly, effective presence on the scene must be maintained, whether in the form you have shown in these days and nights of war, or in the form of various effective roles in social, political, educational, cultural, and even security arenas. The important thing is that the correct role is well understood and implemented as much as possible without harming social unity. One of the duties of the leadership and some other officials is to remind individuals or segments of society of some of these roles. Therefore, I emphasize the importance of participating in the Quds Day ceremony in the year 1447, where the element of defeating the enemy must be considered by everyone.

Fourthly, do not refrain from helping and assisting one another. Praise be to God, this has always been a characteristic of most Iranians, and it is expected that in these special days, which are naturally harder for some members of the nation than others, this matter will be more prominent. In this context, I ask the service apparatuses to spare no effort in providing any assistance to those dear members of the nation and to the people’s aid structures.

If these points are observed, the path for you, the dear nation, to reach days of greatness and glory will be smoothed. The nearest manifestation of this, God willing, can be victory over the enemy in the current war.

My third address is a sincere thanks to our brave combatants who, under circumstances where our nation and beloved homeland are being unjustly attacked by the heads of the arrogance front, have blocked the enemy’s path with their devastating blows, dispelling their illusion of possibility of dominating our dear homeland and possibly dividing it.

My dear combatant brothers! The desire of the masses is for continued effective and punitive defense. Furthermore, the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must certainly be used. Studies have been conducted regarding the opening of other fronts where the enemy has little experience and will be severely vulnerable, and their activation will be carried out if the war situation continues and according to expediency.

I also express my sincere gratitude to the combatants of the resistance front. We consider the countries of the resistance front our best friends, and the matter of resistance and the resistance front is an inseparable part of the values of the Islamic Revolution. Undoubtedly, the alignment of the components of this front with each other shortens the path to salvation from the Zionist sedition, just as we saw valiant and faithful Yemen not abandon the defense of the oppressed people of Gaza, and the sacrificing Hezbollah, despite all obstacles, came to the aid of the Islamic Republic, and the Iraqi resistance has courageously followed the same path.

In the fourth part, my address is to those who have been harmed in some way in these past few days. Whether they have experienced the grief of martyrdom of a loved one or loved ones, or have been injured, or their homes or places of business have been damaged. Firstly, I express my deep sympathy to the families of the high-ranking martyrs. This is based on a shared experience I have with these esteemed individuals. Besides my father, whose loss has become a public grief, I have entrusted my dear and loyal wife, in whom I had placed my hopes, my devoted sister who dedicated herself to serving her parents and ultimately received her reward, and her young child, and the wife of my other sister, who was a learned and honorable person, to the caravan of martyrs. However, what makes enduring calamities possible, even easy, is attention to the certain and definite promise of God regarding the great reward for the patient. Therefore, we must be patient and rely on the grace and support of God, the Exalted.

Secondly, I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs. The vengeance we have in mind is not only for the martyrdom of the great leader of the Revolution but for every member of the nation martyred by the enemy; each becomes an independent case for an revenge file. Of course, a limited amount of this vengeance has materialized so far, but until its full extent is achieved, this file will remain before other files, and we will have greater sensitivity regarding the blood of our infants and children. Therefore, the crime deliberately committed by the enemy at the Shajareh-ye Tayyabeh Minab school and some similar cases holds special significance in this investigation.

Thirdly, the disabled individuals from these attacks must certainly receive appropriate free medical services and benefit from some other privileges.

Fourthly, to the extent that the current situation allows, sufficient measures must be defined and implemented to compensate for the financial damages inflicted on properties and personal belongings. The latter two points are imperative duties for the esteemed officials, which they must carry out and report to me.

The point I must make is that, in any case, we will exact reparations from the enemy, and if they refuse, we will seize as much of their assets as we deem fit, and if that is not possible, we will destroy as much of their assets.

My fifth address is to the leaders and effective ranks in some of the region’s countries. We share borders, land or sea, with 15 countries and have always been and remain willing to have warm and constructive relations with all of them. However, the enemy has, over the years, gradually established bases, both military and financial, in some of these countries to ensure its dominance over the region. In the recent offensive, some military bases were used, which, naturally, as we had explicitly warned and without attacking those countries, we only targeted those bases. From now on, we will unfortunately continue to do so, although we still believe in the necessity of friendship between ourselves and our neighbors. These countries must clarify their position with the aggressors against our beloved homeland and the killers of our people. I advise them to close those bases as soon as possible because they have undoubtedly understood by now that the claim of establishing security and peace by America was nothing but a lie.

This will enable them to forge stronger ties with their own people, who are generally dissatisfied with cooperating with the infidel front and its humiliating behavior, and to increase their wealth and power. I reiterate that the Islamic Republic system, without seeking to establish dominance or colonialism in the region, is fully prepared for unity and warm, sincere mutual relations with all its neighbors.

In the sixth part of my address, I speak to our martyred leader. Leader! With your departure, you have inflicted a heavy blow on all hearts. You were always eager for this end, which Almighty God finally granted you while reciting the Holy Quran on the morning of the 10th of Ramadan al-Mubarak. You endured many oppressions with might and forbearance, without a frown. Many did not recognize your true worth, and perhaps much time will pass before all veils and obstacles are lifted and some aspects of it become clear.

We hope that, by virtue of the proximity you have achieved in the presence of the pure lights, the truthful, the martyrs, and the saints, you will continue to think about the progress of this nation and all the nations of the resistance front and intercede for it, just as you did during your earthly life. We pledge to you that we will strive with all our being to elevate this banner, which is the main banner of the truth front, and to achieve your sacred objectives.

In the seventh part, I express my thanks to all the noble individuals who have supported me, including the Grand Religious Authorities, various cultural, political, and social figures, and all the people who have participated in magnificent gatherings to reaffirm their allegiance to the system. I also thank the officials of the three branches of government and the provisional leadership council for their sound measures and actions.

I hope that the special divine favors will encompass all the Iranian nation, indeed all Muslims and the oppressed of the world, in these blessed hours and days.

Finally, I request our Master, may God hasten his reappearance, during these remaining nights and days of Qadr and the holy month of Ramadan, to ask from the presence of God, the Exalted, for decisive victory over the enemy for our nation, and for honor, prosperity, and well-being, and for the departed, for them to attain honor and well-being in the hereafter.

And peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.

Sayyid Mujtaba Husseini Khamenei

March 11, 2026, corresponding to

Ramadan 22, 1447