A banner bearing a portrait of Mojtaba Khamenei hangs in Tehran, Iran. [Reuters]
A banner bearing a portrait of Mojtaba Khamenei hangs in Tehran, Iran. [Reuters]

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, has vowed to avenge his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and all others killed in the war following US and Israeli airstrikes at the outset of the conflict.

Ayatollah Mojtaba released a written message Saturday in connection with his father's recently held funeral.

"We pledge to avenge your pure blood and the blood of all the martyrs who fell in these two wars against the vile and shameful murderers," he said. "This revenge is the demand of our people and must be carried out."

He warned that "the criminals — whose list alone is vast — must carry to their graves the vain hope of dying peacefully in their beds," and added that "they must know clearly that this revenge is not contingent on whether I or other senior officials survive."

"Regardless of whether we exist, this will surely come to pass, and before long, free people around the world will each join in this sacred mission," he said.

Ayatollah Mojtaba also drew a parallel between his late father and Hussein ibn Ali, the third imam, who met a tragic end fighting against a Sunni dynasty.

He went on to say that "the spirit of Hussein now revives our people and has given a new dimension to the teachings of Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei."

Ayatollah Mojtaba is believed to have been wounded in the US-Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28 that killed his father, and has not made a single public appearance since assuming the role of supreme leader, citing security concerns. He was also absent from his father's funeral, which was held over six days.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com