Mojtaba Khamenei Vows Revenge for Ali Khamenei's Death

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has asserted that avenging the death of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, is a national demand that must be fulfilled. The statement was delivered in a message read out at Ali Khamenei’s funeral ceremony on Saturday (11/7), as reported by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB. In his message, Mojtaba pledged to seek revenge for the killing of Ali Khamenei and other martyrs against those he described as criminal murderers. ‘We promise to avenge your innocent blood and that of all the martyrs in these two wars from the criminal and dishonourable murderers,’ he declared. Ali Khamenei was laid to rest on Thursday at the Imam Reza Shrine in the city of Mashhad, northeastern Iran. The procession marked the end of a week-long mourning period following his death in an attack by the United States and Israel that began on 28 February. Tensions are escalating again despite Tehran and Washington having signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June, mediated by Pakistan. The understanding was originally intended to end the conflict that erupted in February, including an agreement to cease hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. However, the situation on the ground demonstrates the fragility of the deal. This week, both sides engaged in renewed attacks over commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. The US reportedly struck several targets in Iran, which Tehran retaliated against by targeting American assets in the region. Meanwhile, a report by The Wall Street Journal cited Israeli intelligence accusing Iran of plotting to assassinate US President Donald Trump. Responding to the issue, Trump threatened via his Truth Social platform to launch thousands of missiles at Iran if Tehran attempted to harm him.