In Nowruz message, says war began after the enemy lost hope of sparking an uprising inside Iran
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the second son of late Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, attends a meeting in Tehran, Iran, March 2, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei released a message on Friday marking the start of Persian New Year which he named the year of a “resistance economy under national unity and national security”.
In the statement, released on his Telegram channel, Khamenei said that Iran or its allied forces did not carry out attacks against Turkiye and Oman.
In a written message marking the start of the Persian New Year (Nowruz), Khamenei said the war began after the enemy lost hope of triggering a popular uprising inside Iran.
He said adversaries believed assassinating top leaders and military figures would create fear and despair among the population and lead to the collapse of the political system.
Khamenei, however, said Iranians formed what he described as a “vast defence line” across the country, frustrating those plans.
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He also called on Iranian media to avoid focusing on internal weaknesses, warning that hostile media operations aimed to undermine national unity.
He also said attacks that targeted Türkiye and Oman were not carried out by Iran or its allies, accusing Israel of attempting to sow division between Iran and its neighbours.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched a joint offensive on Iran on February 28, killing so far some 1,300 people, including former supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and Gulf countries hosting US military assets, causing casualties and damage to infrastructure while disrupting global markets and aviation.
