Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's newly appointed supreme leader, released a written statement warning neighboring countries hosting US military bases to close them or face further attacks. The message, his first public remarks since his father's assassination, also revealed the deaths of several family members in ongoing US-Israeli strikes. Khamenei urged national unity and praised Iran's regional allies amid the escalating conflict.
Mojtaba Khamenei, a 56-year-old cleric and son of the late Ali Khamenei, assumed the role of Iran's supreme leader following his father's assassination during joint US-Israeli military operations. In a lengthy written statement issued on March 12, 2026, rather than a video address, he addressed the ongoing war, which sources describe as lasting less than two weeks with low American casualties.
Khamenei warned countries neighboring Iran to clarify their stance against what he called aggressors and to close US bases promptly. "These countries must clarify their position with the aggressors against our beloved homeland and the killers of our people," he wrote. "I recommend they close those bases as soon as possible because they must have understood by now that the American claim of establishing security and peace was nothing but a lie."
He claimed Iran had only targeted military bases but reports indicate strikes on civilian sites, including airports in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, Jebel Ali Port and tourist areas in Dubai, the Crowne Plaza hotel and a residential high-rise in Bahrain's capital Manama, the Port of Duqm in Oman, and a village in Azerbaijan. Iran has launched attacks on 12 countries: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as British and French military bases.
Khamenei indicated potential expansion of the conflict, stating, "Studies have been conducted regarding the opening of other fronts where the enemy has little experience and will be extremely vulnerable, and their activation will be considered if the war situation continues and in accordance with expediency."
Revealing personal losses, he wrote of entrusting his wife, a sister with her young child, and his other sister's husband to the "caravan of martyrs." He emphasized retaliation, assuring, "I assure everyone that we will not forgo taking vengeance for the blood of your martyrs." Revenge, he said, had begun but would continue: "Of course, a limited amount of this vengeance has materialized so far, but until its full extent is achieved, this file will remain on top of other matters."
Khamenei called for unity among Iranians: "There must be no blow struck against the unity among all segments and strata of the nation." He praised partners in the "Resistance Front," including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Yemen's forces, and Iraqi militias, noting recent coordination with Hezbollah to target Israel. "We consider the countries of the Resistance Front our best friends," he stated.
The statement's written format has sparked speculation about Khamenei's safety, amid reports of Iranian leaders relocating to Mashhad, approximately 575 miles from former US base Bagram in Afghanistan, now under Taliban control since its 2021 abandonment. US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz commented, "If only we still had Bagram Airbase…"
Background on Khamenei includes service in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the US designates a terrorist organization, and US sanctions in 2019. He was suspected in the 2009 crackdown on Green Movement protests but held no elected office.
