Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, issued a hardline message on Tuesday marking "Iranian Army Day," declaring that "the valiant navy is ready to inflict a new bitter defeat on the enemy."
"Just as Iran's drones strike like lightning against American and Zionist criminals (Israel)," Mojtaba said in a statement that day.
Iranian Army Day is a national holiday established by the first Supreme Leader, Ruhollah Khomeini, shortly after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Each year around this time, a large-scale military parade is held in front of Khomeini's mausoleum in the capital Tehran, while naval reviews take place in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. This year, weight was placed on the Supreme Leader's written message.
Analysts say his specific mention of the "navy" rather than the army or air force is not unrelated to recent confrontations surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on X (formerly Twitter) the previous day that the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would be temporarily lifted. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump made remarks to the effect that "Iran has accepted the U.S. conditions," and the Iranian military immediately countered the same day, stating it would "again control passage through the strait as long as the U.S. maritime blockade is maintained."
Amid discussions about the possibility of a second round of negotiations with the United States, the Supreme Leader's backing of the military's stance appears to be an effort to prevent the foreign minister's announcement from being seen as a "preemptive concession by Iran."
In his statement, Mojtaba characterized the former Pahlavi dynasty as a "corrupt oppressive regime," arguing that "the victory of the Islamic Revolution became a turning point for the Iranian military, ending the 'era of weakness' and returning the military to the embrace of the people." He continued, "The military has created a narrative against the sinister plans of the United States, the remnants of the Pahlavi forces, and separatists," adding, "As in the two past imposed wars, it is bravely defending the nation's territory and flag based on strong divine and popular support."
Since being selected as Supreme Leader on the 9th of last month, succeeding his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba has not released a single voice recording or video. The message that day was also released only in written form through the Telegram channel operated by his office and Iranian state media.
