Mojtaba Khamenei Vows To Continue Support For Resistance Against Israel, US

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said that Iran would continue to support the resistance against Israel and the US, following the path of the first supreme leader Imam Khomeini and his father Ali Khamenei.

In a message to Hezbollah's Sheikh Naim Qassem, Khamenei appreciated the "emotion, love and loyalty" shown by Hezbollah fighters.

"I emphatically declare that the consistent policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following on the path of Imam Khomeini and the martyred Leader, is to continue supporting the Resistance against the Zionist-US enemy", Khamenei wrote.

I emphatically declare that the consistent policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, following on the path of Imam Khomeini and the martyred Leader, is to continue supporting the Resistance against the Zionist-US enemy.

— Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (@MKhamenei_ir) April 1, 2026

Praising Naim Qassem, he wrote, "Given what I know of you, I'm hopeful that you'll thwart the Zionist enemy's plots & once again bring the taste of honor to the dear people of Lebanon."

Khamenei has not been seen since the war began February 28. US and Israeli officials believe he was wounded and remains in hiding.

He has released several public statements since then, which were read on national television. But his absence from the public eye has fuelled rumours about his health and whereabouts.

Putting speculations to rest, a Russian ambassador has said Mojtaba Khamenei is in Iran itself. 

Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is in the country but has been avoiding public appearances "for understandable reasons", Russian ambassador to Iran Alexey Dedov told the RTVI news outlet.

For nearly four decades, the 56-year-old cleric operated largely behind the scenes during his father's rule, wielding influence but rarely appearing in public. Now thrust into the most powerful position in Iran, his continued invisibility, according to a CNN report, underscores the changing nature of power in the Islamic Republic, where institutions and security bodies may matter more than the individual at the top.