JERUSALEM | Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has called on Muslim countries to unite against the United States and Israel, as his government tightens its grip at home and signals that it is prepared for a prolonged confrontation six months into the war.
In a message to religious leaders attending a conference in Tehran, Khamenei urged Muslim governments, particularly those in the Gulf, to cooperate and strengthen mutual defense. He described the United States and Israel as common enemies and called on Islamic countries to identify and confront what he described as their adversaries. Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported the message, while Reuters also reported its publication during Islamic Unity Week.
The appeal comes as Iran’s leadership has consolidated around senior military commanders and hard-line clerics following the death of Khamenei’s father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in U.S.-Israeli strikes on February 28. The younger Khamenei, who was reportedly wounded in the attack, has not appeared publicly since the war began.
The new leadership has also moved to prevent renewed domestic unrest. Khamenei recently appointed veteran Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaei as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council and confirmed Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as head of the Revolutionary Guard. Hossein Taeb, a hard-line cleric and former intelligence chief, was appointed head of the Basij paramilitary force, which has played a major role in suppressing protests.
The appointments reinforce what analysts describe as an effort to keep the ruling system unified as Iran faces worsening economic pressure, including sanctions and restrictions on oil exports. President Masoud Pezeshkian has continued to advocate negotiations, but hard-line figures remain dominant in the country’s security establishment.
The current leadership structure reflects the unusual resilience of Iran’s Islamic Republic. Established after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the system places ultimate political authority in the hands of the Supreme Leader, above the elected president and parliament. The Revolutionary Guard has also become a major political, military and economic power within the system.
Ali Khamenei led Iran for 37 years after succeeding Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989. His death marked the first transition of supreme leadership since the founding generation of the Islamic Republic, with his son taking the position during an ongoing war and amid questions about his health and public absence.
Meanwhile, tensions across the region remain high. Iran has previously struck U.S. military facilities and other targets in Gulf countries during the conflict, while restrictions on the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz have disrupted regional security and energy flows.
Khamenei’s call for Muslim unity therefore carries both a regional and domestic message: Iran is seeking to rally support against its external adversaries while reinforcing political cohesion at home as the conflict enters its seventh month.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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