The First Message of His Eminence Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution

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

"We do not abrogate a sign (ayat) or cause it to be forgotten except that We bring forth [one] better than it or similar to it." (Quran 2:106)

Peace be upon you, O caller to Allah and the godly educator of His signs; peace be upon you, O gateway to Allah and the executor of His religion; peace be upon you, O vicegerent 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 awaited one who is foremost; peace be upon you with the most comprehensive greetings of peace; peace be upon you, my master, the Master of the Age (Sahib al-Zaman).

At the beginning of my words, I must offer my condolences to my master [the Hidden Imam]—may Allah the Almighty hasten his reappearance—on the occasion of the soul-rending martyrdom of the grand leader of the Revolution, the beloved and wise Khamenei.

I request from His Eminence his righteous prayers for every single individual of the great nation of Iran, and indeed for all the Muslims of the world, all servants of Islam and the Revolution, the devotees, the survivors of the martyrs of the Islamic movement—especially the recent war—and for my own humble self.

The second part of my address is to the great nation of Iran. Initially, I must briefly state my position and stance regarding the vote of the honorable Assembly of Experts.

I, your servant, Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, became aware of the result of the vote of the honorable Assembly of Experts at the same time as you, through the Islamic Republic’s television.

For me, leaning upon a place that was the seat of two grand leaders—the great Khomeini and the martyr Khamenei—is a difficult task.

This seat bears the history of someone who, after more than 60 years of Jihad in the way of God and bypassing all kinds of pleasures and comforts, turned into a brilliant jewel and a distinguished figure, not only in the present era but throughout the history of this country's rulers.

Both his life and the manner of his death were intertwined with a glory and dignity stemming from reliance on the Truth (God).

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 facets of his personality, those who are informed must speak for a long time. In this space, I suffice with this summary and leave the details for other appropriate occasions.

This is the reason for the difficulty of leaning on the chair of leadership after such a person; bridging this gap is possible only through the assistance of the Almighty Truth and the help of you, the people.

Furthermore, it is necessary to emphasize a point that is 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 relying on their power in the position of action.

In this way, they actualized the true meaning of the "Republic" and "Republicanism," and they believed in it from the depth of their souls. The clear effect of this was seen during these few days when the country was without a leader and without a Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The insight and intelligence of the great nation of Iran in this recent event, and its steadfastness, courage, and presence, moved friends to admiration 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 writing 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 given in its place by the Almighty Truth, Exalted and Sublime.

The occasion for using this noble verse is not that this servant is on the level of the martyr leader, let alone assuming I am superior to him; rather, the purpose of mentioning the blessed verse is to draw attention to the timely and prominent role of you, the dear nation.

If that great blessing was taken from us, in its place, the "Ammar-like" presence of the Iranian nation was once again granted to this system.

Know that if your power does not appear 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.

For this meaning to better materialize, firstly, the remembrance of God (Blessed and Exalted be He), trust in Him, and seeking recourse (Tawassul) in the pure lights of the Infallibles (peace be upon them all) must be viewed as the "Great Elixir" and "Red Sulphur" that guarantees 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 between the individuals and strata of the nation, which usually finds a special manifestation in times of hardship, must not be damaged.

This matter will be achieved by overlooking points of contention.

Third, an effective presence on the scene must be maintained—whether in the manner you demonstrated during these days and nights of war, or through various forms of constructive engagement in social, political, educational, cultural, and even security spheres.

What is important is that the correct role be properly understood and implemented to the greatest extent possible, without causing any damage to social unity.

One of the duties of the leadership and certain other officials is to remind different segments of society of some of these roles. In this regard, I wish to emphasize the importance of participation in the Quds Day ceremony of 1447, in which the element of confronting and defeating the enemy must be kept in mind by all.

Fourth, do not neglect helping and assisting one another. Praise be to God, this has long been the enduring characteristic of the majority of Iranians, and it is expected that in these particular days—when naturally some members of the nation are facing greater hardship than others—this spirit will manifest itself even more prominently.

At this opportunity, I also call upon service institutions to refrain from withholding any form of assistance or support from those dear members of the nation and from the people’s relief structures.

If these principles are observed, the path for you, the beloved nation, toward days of grandeur and glory will be smoothed.

The closest manifestation of this, God willing, may be victory over the enemy in the current war.

The third part of my remarks is an expression of my sincere gratitude to our brave combatants who, at a time when our nation and beloved homeland have been unjustly attacked by the leaders of the front of global arrogance, have blocked the enemy’s path with their powerful blows and have removed them from the illusion that they might dominate our beloved country or possibly fragment it.

Dear brothers in arms! The demand of the masses of the people is the continuation of effective and regret-inducing defense.

Likewise, the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be utilized.

Studies have also been conducted regarding the opening of other fronts where the enemy has little experience and would be highly vulnerable.

The activation of such fronts will take place—should the state of war persist and in accordance with the requirements of expediency.

I also extend my sincere thanks to the fighters of the Resistance Front. We consider the countries of the Resistance Front to be our best friends, and the cause of resistance and the Resistance Front is an inseparable part of the values of the Islamic Revolution.

Undoubtedly, the cooperation of the various components of this front will shorten the path toward deliverance from the Zionist sedition.

As we have witnessed, courageous and faithful Yemen did not cease defending the oppressed people of Gaza, and the self-sacrificing Hezbollah, despite all obstacles, has come to the aid of the Islamic Republic. The Iraqi resistance has likewise bravely followed this same path.

The fourth part of my address is directed to those who have suffered in some way during these past few days—whether those who have endured the grief of the martyrdom of a loved one, those who have been wounded, or those whose homes, dwellings, or places of business have been damaged.

First, I express my deep sympathy with the families of the exalted martyrs. This stems from a shared experience that I have with these noble individuals.

Apart from my father—whose loss has become a matter of public mourning—I have entrusted to the caravan of martyrs my dear and loyal wife, in whom I had placed many hopes; my self-sacrificing sister who devoted herself to serving her parents and ultimately received her reward; her young child; and the husband of my other sister, who was a learned and honorable man.

Yet what makes patience in the face of such afflictions possible—and even easier—is attention to the certain and definitive divine promise of a great reward for the patient.

Therefore one must remain patient and place hope and trust in the grace and assistance of the Almighty.

Second, I assure everyone that we will not overlook the revenge for the blood of your martyrs. The revenge we envision is not limited to the martyrdom of the great leader of the Revolution; rather, every member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy constitutes an independent case in the file of vengeance.

A limited portion of this revenge has already taken concrete form, but until it is achieved in full, this file will remain open above all other cases. In particular, we will show even greater sensitivity regarding the blood of our children. Therefore, the crime that the enemy deliberately committed in relation to the Shajareh-Tayyebeh School in Minab, along with several similar cases, will receive special attention in this process.

Third, those who have been wounded in these attacks must certainly receive appropriate medical services free of charge and benefit from certain additional privileges.

Fourth, insofar as current conditions permit, adequate measures must be defined and implemented to compensate for the financial damages inflicted upon properties and personal belongings.

The last two points constitute binding obligations upon the respected officials, who must implement them and report the results to me.

One point that must be emphasized is that, in any case, we will obtain reparations from the enemy.

If it refuses, we will take from its assets to the extent we deem appropriate; and if that too proves impossible, we will destroy an equivalent amount of its assets.

The fifth part of my remarks is addressed to the leaders and influential ranks in certain countries of the region.

We share land or maritime borders with fifteen neighboring states and have always desired—and continue to desire—warm and constructive relations with all of them.

However, for years the enemy has gradually established bases, both military and financial, in some of these countries in order to secure its domination over the region.

In the recent assault, some of these military bases were utilized. Naturally, as we had already issued an explicit warning, and without directing any aggression toward those countries themselves, we targeted only those bases.

From this point forward, we will inevitably continue to do so if necessary, even though we still believe in the importance of friendship between us and those neighbors.

These countries must determine their position regarding those who have aggressed against our beloved homeland and those who have killed members of our people.

I recommend that they close those bases as soon as possible, for by now they must have realized that the claim by the United States of establishing security and peace has been nothing more than a lie.

Such a step will allow them to strengthen their bonds with their own peoples—who are generally dissatisfied with alignment with the front of unbelief and with its humiliating conduct—and will add to their wealth and power.

I repeat once again that the system of the Islamic Republic, without seeking to establish domination or colonial control in the region, is fully prepared for unity and for warm and sincere reciprocal relations with all its neighbors.

In the sixth part of my remarks, my words are addressed to our martyred leader:

O Leader! By your departure you have inflicted a heavy grief upon all hearts. You had always longed for such an end, and at last the Almighty granted it to you while you were reciting the Noble Qur’an on the morning of the tenth day of the blessed month of Ramadan.

You endured many injustices with dignity and forbearance, without the slightest sign of complaint. Many did not truly recognize your worth, and perhaps much time must pass before various veils and obstacles are removed and some aspects of it become known.

We hope that, from the station of nearness that has now been granted to you among the pure lights, the truthful, the martyrs, and the friends of God, you will continue to think of the advancement of this nation and of all the nations of the Resistance Front, and intercede for them—as you did throughout your worldly life.

We pledge to you that we will strive with all our strength to elevate this banner—the principal banner of the front of truth—and to achieve the sacred goals that you pursued.

In the seventh part, I express my gratitude to all the esteemed individuals who have supported me—among them the eminent Marājiʿ al-Taqlīd, as well as various cultural, political, and social figures, and the members of the public who have participated in magnificent gatherings to renew their allegiance to the system.

I also thank the officials of the three branches of government and the Temporary Leadership Council for their sound judgment and actions.

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

Finally, I ask our Master—may God hasten his noble reappearance—that during the remaining nights and days of Laylat al-Qadr and the blessed month of Ramadan, he beseech the Almighty on behalf of our nation for decisive victory over the enemy, as well as honor, expansion of blessings, and well-being, and for their departed ones, elevated stations and eternal peace.

Peace be upon you, and the mercy of God, and His blessings and salutations.

Seyyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei