The full text of the first message of Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, the third Leader of the Islamic Republic

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

"Whatever miracle We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than it or one like it."

Peace be upon you, O Caller to Allah and the Divine Educator of His signs; Peace be upon you, O Gate of Allah and the Administrator of His religion; Peace be upon you, O Caliph of Allah and Helper of His truth; Peace be upon you, O Proof of Allah and Guide to His will. Peace be upon you, O Promised Foremost One; Peace be upon you with the most comprehensive peace; Peace be upon you, my Master, the Lord of the Age (Sahib al-Zaman).

At the beginning of my words, I must offer my condolences to my Master (may Allah the Exalted hasten his reappearance) on the occasion of the heart-rending martyrdom of the great, wise, and dear Leader of the Revolution, Khamenei. I request from His Eminence his blessed prayers for every single member of the great Iranian nation, and indeed for all Muslims of the world, all servants of Islam and the Revolution, the devotees, the families of the martyrs of the Islamic movement—especially those of the recent war—and for my humble self.

The second part of my address is to the great nation of Iran. First, I must briefly state my position regarding the vote of the honorable Assembly of Experts. I, your servant, Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, became aware of the result of the Assembly's vote at the same time as you, through the Islamic Republic's television. For me, occupying a place that was the seat of two magnificent leaders—the great Khomeini and the martyr Khamenei—is a difficult task. This seat bears the legacy of one who, after more than 60 years of Jihad in the way of God and renouncing all forms of pleasure and comfort, became a brilliant gem and a distinguished figure, not only in the present era but throughout the history of this country's rulers. Both his life and the nature of his death were intertwined with a grandeur and dignity born of relying on the Truth.

I had the honor of visiting his body after his martyrdom; what I saw was a mountain of steadfastness, and I heard that he had clenched the fist of his healthy hand. Regarding the various aspects of his personality, those who are informed must speak for a long time. In this brief moment, I suffice with this summary and leave the details for other appropriate occasions. This is the reason for the difficulty of sitting in the seat of leadership after such a person; bridging this gap is only possible through the assistance of the Almighty and the help of you, the people.

Next, it is necessary to emphasize a point directly related to the core of my message. That point is that among the arts of the martyr Leader and his great predecessor was bringing the people into all arenas, providing them with continuous insight and awareness, and in practice, relying on their power. In this way, they actualized the true meaning of the "Republic" and "Republicanism," believing in it from the depths of their souls. The clear effect of this was seen during these few days when the country was without a Leader and a Commander-in-Chief. The insight and intelligence of the great Iranian nation in the recent event, along with its perseverance, courage, and presence, moved friends to praise and left enemies in astonishment. It was you, the people, who led the country and guaranteed its authority. The verse I cited at the beginning of this text means that there is no sign among the divine signs whose term ends or is consigned to oblivion unless a similar or better one is granted in its place by the Almighty.

The reason for using this holy verse is not that this servant is on the level of the martyr Leader, let alone being superior to him; rather, the purpose is to draw attention to the timely and prominent role of you, the dear nation. If that great blessing was taken from us, the "Ammar-like" presence of the Iranian nation was once again granted to this system in its stead. Know that if your power does not manifest on the scene, neither the Leadership nor any of the various apparatuses—whose true status is to serve the people—will have the necessary effectiveness. To better realize this meaning, firstly, the remembrance of God, trust in Him, and recourse (Tawassul) to the pure lights of the Infallibles (peace be upon them all) must be viewed as the "Great Elixir" that guarantees all kinds of openings and definitive victory over the enemy. This is a great advantage that you possess and your enemies lack.

Secondly, the unity among the individuals and strata of the nation, which usually finds a special manifestation in times of hardship, must not be undermined. This will be achieved by setting aside points of contention.

Thirdly, an effective presence on the scene must be maintained; whether in the form you have shown during 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 damaging social unity. One of the duties of the Leadership and other officials is to remind individuals or groups of these roles. Therefore, I remind you of the importance of participating in the Quds Day ceremonies of 1447 AH, where the element of "breaking the enemy" must be the focus of everyone’s attention.

Fourthly, do not withhold help and assistance from one another. Thank God, the perpetual trait of most Iranians has been nothing but this, and it is expected that in these special days—which naturally pass harder for some than others—this quality will be even more prominent. In this regard, I ask the service organizations not to hesitate in providing any help or aid to those dear citizens and to the popular relief structures.

If these aspects are observed, the path for you, the dear nation, toward days of greatness and glory will be smooth. Its closest manifestation, God willing, can be victory over the enemy in the current war.

The third part of my message is a sincere thank you to our brave warriors who, in conditions where our dear nation and homeland have been oppressively attacked by the heads of the Arrogant Front, have blocked the enemy's path with their crushing blows and have disabused them of the illusion of dominating or potentially partitioning our dear homeland.

Dear warrior brothers! The demand of the masses of people is the continuation of effective and deterrent defense. Furthermore, the lever of closing the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be utilized. Regarding the opening of other fronts where the enemy has little experience and will be highly vulnerable, studies have been conducted, and their activation will take place if the state of war continues and based on the dictates of expediency.

I also sincerely thank the warriors of the Resistance Front. We consider the countries of the Resistance Front to be 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 solidarity of the components of this front with one another shortens the path to liberation from the Zionist fitna; just as we saw that brave and faithful Yemen did not stop defending the oppressed people of Gaza, and the self-sacrificing Hezbollah has come to the aid of the Islamic Republic despite all obstacles, and the Iraqi resistance has also courageously followed the same line.

In the fourth part, I address those who have been harmed in some way during these past few days. Whether those who have experienced the grief of the martyrdom of a loved one; those who have been injured; or individuals whose homes or places of business have been damaged. In this section, first, I declare my deep sympathy with the survivors of the high-ranking martyrs. This is based on a shared experience I have with these noble people; besides my father, whose loss has become a public grief, I have consigned to the caravan of martyrs my dear and loyal wife, in whom I had great hopes, my self-sacrificing sister who had dedicated herself to serving her parents and finally received her reward, her young child, and the husband of my other sister who was a learned and noble human being. But what makes enduring hardships possible and even easy is attention to the certain and definitive divine promise of a great reward for the patient. Therefore, one must be patient and have hope and trust in the grace and assistance of the Almighty.

Secondly, I assure everyone that we will not renounce seeking vengeance for the blood of your martyrs. The revenge we have in mind is not only related to the martyrdom of the great Leader of the Revolution; rather, every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy is an independent subject for the revenge file. Of course, a limited amount of this revenge has manifested tangibly so far, but until its full extent is achieved, this file will remain on top of all other files, and we will have even more sensitivity regarding the blood of our children and infants. Therefore, the crime the enemy deliberately committed regarding the Shajareh Tayyibah school in Minab and similar cases holds a special status in this investigation.

Thirdly, the veterans of these attacks must certainly receive appropriate medical services free of charge and benefit from other advantages.

Fourthly, as far as the current situation allows, sufficient, defined, and implemented measures must be taken to compensate for the financial losses inflicted on personal properties and premises. These last two points serve as a mandatory duty for the honorable officials, who must implement them and report to me.

One point I must mention is that, in any case, we will take reparations from the enemy, and if they refuse, we will take from their assets to the extent we deem necessary, and if that is not possible, we will destroy their assets to that same extent.

The fifth part of my message is addressed to the leaders and influential levels in some countries of the region. We share land or sea borders with 15 countries and have always desired, and still desire, a warm and constructive relationship with all of them. However, for years, the enemy has gradually established bases—both military and financial—in some of these countries to ensure its dominance over the region. In the recent assault, some military bases were used, and naturally, as we had explicitly warned, and without carrying out any aggression against those countries, we targeted only those specific bases. From now on, we will perforce continue this; although we still believe in the necessity of friendship between ourselves and our neighbors. These countries must clarify their stance regarding the aggressors against our dear homeland and the killers of our people. I recommend they close those bases as soon as possible; because by now they must have realized that the American claim of establishing security and peace was nothing but a lie.

This will lead to a stronger bond with their own nations, who are generally dissatisfied with the alignment with the Front of Disbelief and its humiliating behavior, and it will increase their wealth and power. I repeat again: the Islamic Republic, without seeking to establish dominance or colonialism in the region, is fully prepared for union and warm, sincere mutual relations with all neighbors.

In the sixth part of my message, I address our martyr Leader. O Leader! With your departure, you left a heavy grief upon the hearts of all. You were always longing for this end, until finally the Almighty granted it to you while you were reciting the Holy Quran on the morning of the 10th of the blessed month of Ramadan. You bore many oppressions with authority and forbearance and did not even frown. Many did not recognize your true worth, and perhaps a long time will pass before various veils and obstacles are removed and aspects of it become known.

We hope that from the station of proximity provided for you alongside the Pure Lights, the Truthful, the Martyrs, and the Saints, you will still be mindful of the progress of this nation and all the nations of the Resistance Front and intercede for them, just as you were in your worldly life. We pledge to you that we will strive with all our being for the exaltation of this flag—which is the main flag of the Front of Truth—and for the attainment of your holy objectives.

In the seventh part, I thank all the noble individuals who have supported me, including the Grand Ayatollahs and various cultural, political, and social figures, and the masses of people who appeared in magnificent gatherings to express their renewed allegiance to the system, as well as the officials of the three branches and the Temporary Leadership Council for their excellent measures and actions.

I hope that the special divine graces in these hours and days of abundance will include the entire nation of Iran, and indeed all Muslims and the oppressed of the world.

And finally, I request our Master (may Allah hasten his reappearance), during the remainder of the nights and days of Destiny (Qadr) and the holy month of Ramadan, to ask the Almighty for a decisive victory over the enemy for our nation, as well as dignity, abundance, and well-being, and for their deceased, high stations and eternal well-being.

Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings and greetings of Allah.

Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei
March 12, 2026 (corresponding to 22 Ramadan 1447)