Silent no more? Mojtaba Khamenei sends Iraq message amid war tensions

Paris: Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued a written message thanking the people of Iraq for their support during the war with the United States and Israel, Iranian media reported on Sunday.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, who was reportedly killed in an airstrike at the outset of the conflict on 28 February, has yet to appear in public since his appointment. So far, he has communicated only through a limited number of written statements.

His continued absence has fuelled widespread speculation about his condition and whereabouts. However, state television and some Iranian officials have suggested he is recovering from injuries sustained in an airstrike.

In the message, Khamenei expressed his gratitude to Iraq’s top Shia authority, Ali al-Sistani, and to the Iraqi people for what he described as their “clear stance against aggression towards Iran” and their support for the country, according to the ISNA news agency.

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The statement was reportedly conveyed following a meeting between the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a Shia political party, and Iran’s ambassador to Baghdad. No further details were provided on how the message was delivered.

Since assuming the role, Khamenei has issued an initial statement as supreme leader as well as a message marking the Persian New Year, Nowruz. Both were read aloud on state television by a spokesperson and struck a defiant tone, predicting victory in the ongoing conflict.

State media have continued to publish images said to be of Khamenei, though without confirming whether they are recent. He also maintains official accounts on Telegram and X.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said last week that Washington was engaging with a “top person” in its dealings with Iran, but clarified that this individual was not the supreme leader.

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“We have not heard from the son… We don’t know if he is living,” Trump said.

Mojtaba Khamenei becomes Iran’s third supreme leader since the Iranian Revolution, succeeding both his father and the republic’s founding leader, Ruhollah Khomeini.