TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei declared on Thursday that the US and Israel have been dealt a “decisive blow” in the ongoing Middle East war as the Iranian government reported no tangible progress in ceasefire negotiations.
The defiant message was read on Khamenei’s behalf during a Tehran ceremony marking the anniversary of the death of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It follows the recent passage of a US House resolution seeking to halt American military action in Iran.
The 56-year-old leader has not been seen in public since reportedly being wounded in the opening salvo of a US-Israeli bombing campaign on Feb 28 that killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei.
Instead of the traditional speech delivered by the supreme leader every June 4 since 1989, an empty chair bearing Mojtaba Khamenei’s portrait stood at the mausoleum on Thursday, according to state broadcast footage.
Says ‘humiliated’ adversaries now trying to sow internal divisions
Mojtaba’s message stated, “The malicious enemy has been defeated in its confrontation with the armed forces. Since it has received a decisive blow both in military combat and in Iran’s public squares and streets, it’s experiencing a profound and significant humiliation.
“The enemy has focused its schemes in hybrid warfare on two points: the resilience of the Iranian people and trying to create errors in the assessments of the country’s officials. The instrument it’s using for both is sowing the seeds of doubt, despair, fear, mistrust and discord.”
“In confronting these ill intentions, everyone must, through steadfastness, insight, preserving unity and cohesion … neutralise their sinister plot,” his message said.
He further said, “Imperialism, led by the US, has built a military base called Israel over the past 80 years. And they don’t accept the existence of a strong, independent Iran on the eastern border of the false, illegitimate geography of Greater Israel.”
Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2026