Iran’s new supreme leader marked the Persian new year and the end of the holy month of Ramadan with a public statement, but he did not appear on video as his predecessor did in years past, as questions persist about the new leader’s physical condition.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen or heard in public since being named supreme leader almost two weeks ago, after an Israeli airstrike killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Pentagon officials have said they believe he was seriously wounded in the Israeli-U.S. bombing campaign against Iran.
Tّhe statement released on Friday was printed in full by Iranian media and read on state television.
Khamenei’s statement denied that either Iran or its proxies were to blame for recent strikes in Turkey and Oman but did not address the far more numerous attacks on other Persian Gulf neighbors that have been attributed to Iran. NATO air defenses have intercepted Iranian missiles fired over Turkey, while drones have targeted Omani ports and other facilities.
“The attacks that took place against some parts of Turkey and Oman, both of which have good relations with us, were in no way at the hands of the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and other forces of the resistance front,” Khamenei’s statement said, saying that claims otherwise were a “false flag trick” by Israel.
He also pledged to address Iran’s dire economy, which struggles with persistent double-digit inflation, high unemployment, and an increasingly worthless currency. He claimed that he had a habit of traveling incognito by taxi to listen to ordinary Iranians’ concerns.
“In many cases, I found my own views aligned with yours, which were often expressed as various criticisms regarding economic and managerial issues,” he said. He said the government had created an “effective and expert” plan to fix the problems, which would “soon be ready for action.”
Khamenei declared the coming Iranian year’s slogan as “a resistance economy under the shadow of national unity and national security.”
In doing so, he echoed his father, who often used the term “resistance economy” to refer to Iran’s need to be self-sufficient in the face of international sanctions.
Yeganeh Torbati is the Iran correspondent for The Times.
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