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From a message by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyid Mojtaba Khamenei

At the outset of my remarks, I must extend my deepest condolences to my master, the Lord of the Age (may God hasten his noble reappearance), on the martyrdom of the great, beloved, and wise Leader of the Revolution, Khamenei. I also ask His Eminence to pray for goodness for every individual among the great Iranian people, indeed for all Muslims throughout the world, for all the servants of Islam and the Revolution, for the self-sacrificing fighters, for the families of the martyrs of the Islamic awakening—especially in the recent war—and likewise for this humble servant.

The second part of my remarks is addressed to the great Iranian nation. At the beginning, I must briefly clarify my position regarding the decision of the esteemed Assembly of Experts. This servant of yours, Sayyid Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, learned of the result of the Assembly’s vote at the same time as you did, through the television of the Islamic Republic. To sit in the place where the two great leaders of this nation—the great Imam Khomeini and the martyred Khamenei—once sat is something extremely difficult for me. This platform once held a man who, after more than sixty years of striving in the path of God and abandoning the many forms of comfort and worldly pleasure, became a shining jewel and a distinguished figure not only in our era but in the history of the rulers of this country. His life, as well as the manner of his death, was imbued with the grandeur and dignity that arise from reliance upon the Truth.

God granted me the opportunity to visit his body after his martyrdom. What I saw was a mountain of steadfastness, and I was told that his sound hand remained clenched in a firm fist. As for the various aspects of his personality, those endowed with knowledge must speak about them at length. At this point I suffice with this brief remark and leave the detailed discussion for other occasions. From here stems the difficulty of assuming the position of leadership after such a man; filling this gap can only occur through reliance upon God Almighty and through the support of the people.

Here it is necessary to emphasize a point directly related to the essence of my remarks: among the arts of the martyred leader and his great predecessor was the inclusion of the people in all arenas, the continuous cultivation of their awareness and insight, and practical reliance upon their strength. In this sense they embodied the true meaning of “the people” and “the republic,” and they believed in it from the depths of their hearts. The effects of this were clearly visible in these few days during which the country remained without a leader and without a Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. Indeed, the awareness and insight of the great Iranian people during the recent event—together with their steadfastness, courage, and presence—astonished the enemy and inspired admiration among friends. It was you, the people, who led the country and guaranteed its strength.

The verse with which I opened this address means that no sign of God is abrogated or forgotten except that God brings forth something better than it or similar to it. By citing this verse, the intention is not to suggest that this humble servant stands on the same level as the martyred leader—let alone that he might be considered superior to him. Rather, the purpose is to draw attention to your great role, O beloved people. If that immense blessing has been lost, this system has once again been granted the presence of the Iranian people with a spirit reminiscent of Ammar. Know that if your strength does not manifest itself in the field, neither the leadership nor the other institutions of the state—whose true role is to serve the people—will possess the necessary effectiveness.

For this meaning to be realized more fully, the following is necessary:

First: The remembrance of God, reliance upon Him, and seeking intercession through the lights of the Infallibles (peace be upon them) must be regarded as the supreme elixir that guarantees all forms of victory and the inevitable triumph over the enemy. This is a great advantage that you possess and that your enemies lack.

Second: Preserving unity among the sons and different segments of the nation—a unity that usually becomes clearer in times of hardship—by overcoming points of disagreement.

Third: Maintaining an effective presence in the field, whether as you demonstrated during these days and nights of war, or through active roles in social, political, educational, cultural, and even security arenas. The important matter is that each person understands their proper role without harming social unity. In this context, I remind you of the importance of participating in the ceremonies of Quds Day for the year 1447 AH, where the element of breaking the enemy’s power should be present.

Fourth: Do not refrain from helping one another. This is among the well-known characteristics of the Iranian people, and it is expected to appear even more strongly in these difficult days through which some members of the nation may pass. I also ask the service institutions to provide every possible assistance to those individuals who have been harmed and to the popular relief organizations.

If these matters are observed, the path will be paved for you to reach days of greatness and glory, and the closest example of this—God willing—will be victory over the enemy in the ongoing war.

The third part of my address is a sincere expression of gratitude to our brave fighters who, at a time when our beloved homeland was subjected to an unjust attack by the leaders of the front of arrogance, blocked the enemy’s path with their powerful strikes and removed him from the illusion that he could dominate this homeland or even divide it.

O mujahid brothers! The will of the masses of the people is to continue effective and deterrent defense. The option of closing the Strait of Hormuz must also continue to be used as leverage. Studies have been conducted regarding the opening of other fronts where the enemy lacks experience and would be severely weakened, and this will be activated if the state of war continues and as the interests of the situation require.

I also extend my sincere thanks to the fighters of the Resistance Front. We consider the countries of the Resistance Front to be among our best friends, and the cause of resistance is an inseparable part of the values of the Islamic Revolution. There is no doubt that cooperation among the components of this front shortens the path to ending the Zionist sedition. We have seen how brave and faithful Yemen did not abandon the defense of the oppressed people of Gaza, how Hezbollah supported the Islamic Republic despite all obstacles, and how the Iraqi resistance also walked courageously on this path.

The fourth part of my remarks is addressed to those who have been harmed in these days—whether those who lost loved ones to martyrdom, those who were wounded, or those whose homes and workplaces were damaged. First, I express my deep sympathy with the families of the noble martyrs. This stems from a shared experience with them; in addition to my father, whose loss has become a public calamity, I have also bid farewell to the caravan of martyrs: my loyal and beloved wife, my self-sacrificing sister who devoted herself to serving her parents and attained her reward, her young child, and my other brother-in-law, the honorable scholar.

Yet what makes patience in the face of calamities possible—indeed even easy—is trust in God’s certain promise of great reward for the patient. Therefore, patience and reliance upon the grace of God Almighty are necessary.

Second, I affirm to everyone that we will not overlook avenging the blood of your martyrs. This revenge is not limited to the martyrdom of the Leader of the Revolution alone; rather, every individual from our people who is martyred by the hand of the enemy constitutes an independent case within the file of retribution. A limited part of this retaliation has been realized so far, but it will remain open until it is fully accomplished—especially with regard to the blood of our children. For this reason, the crime deliberately committed by the enemy at the “Shajarat Tayyiba” school in Minab and elsewhere holds a particular place in this follow-up.

Third, those wounded in these attacks must receive appropriate medical treatment free of charge and benefit from certain additional privileges.

Fourth, insofar as the current circumstances allow, adequate measures must be taken to compensate the financial damages inflicted upon private property. These two matters constitute binding obligations upon the responsible authorities, and they must submit a report on them to me.

I also affirm that we will demand compensation from the enemy. If it refuses, we will take from its assets as much as we deem appropriate; and if that proves impossible, we will destroy an equivalent amount of its property.

The fifth part of my remarks is directed to the leaders of certain countries in the region. We share land or maritime borders with fifteen states, and we have always sought warm and constructive relations with all of them.

However, for years the enemy has established military and financial bases in some of these countries in order to secure its dominance over the region. In the recent attack, some of these bases were used; therefore—as we had previously warned—we targeted those bases only, without attacking those states themselves. We will be compelled to continue doing so if those bases keep being used, while reaffirming our constant desire for friendly relations with our neighbors. We advise these countries to close those bases quickly, for it has become clear to them that the United