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Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei paid tribute to his father and predecessor, calling him an "unjustly slain" and "righteous servant of God", while vowing to uphold his legacy.

"Our nation seeks to take revenge for the blood of Imam Hussain (pbuh)," Khamenei said, invoking the revered Shia figure. "O unjustly slain Leader! O righteous servant of God! We pledge to safeguard your legacy, steadfastly follow the path you laid out, fear no hardship along the way, and remain devoted to the divine promises and glad tidings you believed in."

To our martyred Leader: O unjustly slain Leader! O righteous servant of God! We pledge to safeguard your legacy, to steadfastly traverse the straight path you laid out, to fear no hardships along the way, and to attach our hearts to divine promises and glad tidings as you did.

— Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (@MKhamenei_ir) July 11, 2026

Drawing parallels between the late leader and Imam Hussain, Khamenei said the Iranian nation had long sacrificed its people in defence of Hussain's ideals and in opposition to his enemies. He added that Iran now sought "revenge for his blood and the blood of those like Hussain in our time."

Khamenei ​issued the ⁠message on ‌the occasion ​of ​funeral ceremonies for his ⁠father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, held ​months after he was ​killed in the US-Israeli airstrikes which started on February 28.