Khamenei Orders Iran's Army To 'Continue Decisive Operations'
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has ordered the country’s forces to continue military operations against the US and Israel, according to a report by Iranian public broadcaster IRIB released Sunday.
The order came during a meeting between Khamenei and Major General Ali Abdollahi, the commander of the Iranian army's Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters. "During this meeting, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, His Eminence Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, while expressing appreciation for the brave and valiant fighters and the country’s powerful armed forces, issued new directives and guidance for continuing operations and confronting enemies decisively," the report said.
Abdollahi also "presented a report on the readiness of the armed forces" during the meeting, IRIB added. The report comes after two months of speculation and unverified media claims about the Supreme Leader's status.
Western news outlets like The Guardian and The Times had claimed earlier in the war that Khamenei was in a coma following the US-Israeli strikes that assassinated his father. Reports also claimed that he fled to Russia.
Mazaher Hosseini, head of protocol in the office of Iran's supreme leader, recently stated that Khamenei was healing from minor injuries he sustained and "is now in complete health."
"Thank God, he is in good health. The enemy is spreading all kinds of rumors and false claims. They want to see him and find him, but people should be patient and not rush. He will speak to you when the time is right," the Iranian official stated.
The IRIB report came a day after CNN cited US intelligence as saying that Khamenei "is playing a critical role in shaping war strategy alongside senior Iranian officials."
It also comes days after Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said he met with the supreme leader. "What struck me most during this meeting was the vision and the humble and sincere approach of the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution," he said.
Tehran has sent out its response to a new US proposal for a ceasefire via Pakistan, according to state media. The US has maintained an illegal blockade of Iranian ports since the ceasefire began.
Washington violated the truce days ago by bombing Iran's coast and attacking two vessels. Iranian forces targeted two US military vessels in response. The next day, skirmishes broke out between Iranian and US forces in the Strait of Hormuz.
Spokesperson for the Iranian parliament’s Foreign Policy and National Security Committee, Ebrahim Rezaei, said on Sunday that Tehran will strike US military bases and vessels in response to any new violations from Washington – stressing that "restraint has come to an end."