Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for rebuilding from wartime destruction by emphasizing the need for tree planting. He posted a photo of his father, Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, planting a tree.
On Thursday, the Supreme Leader published a statement on his social media account marking Islamic Republic Day and Nature Day. Islamic Republic Day commemorates the 1979 national referendum that ended the U.S.-backed Pahlavi dynasty and established the Islamic Republic. The day also marks the end of Nowruz, the Persian New Year holiday.
"The vile and ruthless American-Zionist enemy, knowing no human, moral or existential limits in its cruelty, has even attacked and damaged the natural and environmental spaces of our beloved homeland," Mojtaba said. "In these circumstances, every effort to expand development and build Iran's bright future is valuable and necessary."
He specifically highlighted the bombing of a girls' school in southern Iran. The Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in the southern city of Minab was struck by U.S. bombing, killing 186 female students. "The child-massacring American-Zionist demons cruelly martyred the young buds of that school," Mojtaba said, condemning the United States.
He then urged citizens across the country's cities and rural areas to join a tree-planting campaign through the end of spring. "Nevertheless, the Iranian people are planting saplings of hope across the homeland in memory of all martyrs, especially the martyrs of the ongoing war," Mojtaba said. "I hope these saplings will grow into blessed and fruitful trees in the years ahead." The statement was interpreted as an effort to honor the victims and condemn the U.S. and Israel, given that the name of the bombed school, Shajareh Tayyebeh, means "good tree" in Arabic.
The photo accompanying the statement showed Ali Khamenei, the late former Supreme Leader and Mojtaba's father, planting a tree. Mojtaba is known to have been injured in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes and has not appeared in public to date. As his seclusion continues, suspicions persist that he may have sustained serious injuries. His decision to once again put his father's image at the forefront is expected to further amplify such speculation.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said on the same day that he would deliver "extremely powerful strikes" against Iran over "the next two to three weeks." The announcement marked an escalation, defying earlier expectations that he would declare an end to hostilities.