Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was injured in a strike that killed his father, the previous supreme leader, raising speculation that he may have been seriously wounded or disfigured.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in a statement attributed to him on Friday, urged his country's media to "refrain from focusing on [the country's] weaknesses" amid the ongoing war and accused Israel of false flag attacks on Turkey and Oman.
In the statement, addressed to the Iranian people on the occasion of Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Khamenei designated the new year as the year of "Resistance Economy under National Unity and National Security." He also emphasized his mourning for the regime's "martyrs."
Khamenei has not been seen in public since he was reportedly injured in a strike that killed his father, the previous supreme leader. A written statement released on his behalf on March 12 raised speculation regarding his condition, prompting United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to theorize that Khamenei is "wounded and likely disfigured."
In remarks attributed to him, the new supreme leader claimed that Tehran was in no way involved in the recent "false flag" attacks on Turkey and Oman attributed to the Islamic Republic, adding that both countries have "good relations" with Iran.
"This is a ploy by the Zionist enemy, employing the false flag tactic to create discord between the Islamic Republic and its neighbors, and it may also occur in some other countries," Khamenei was quoted as saying.
Iran's three 'imposed' wars
The statement also elaborated on three "military and security wars" he allegedly asserted were imposed on Iran.
In the first war, which referred to the June 2025 Israel-Iran war, "some of the country's best commanders and prominent scientists" were killed, Khamenei was quoted as saying, adding the United States helped Israel "in the midst of negotiations."
The Iranian leader also allegedly claimed that Israel assessed at the time that, in the first days of the war, the Iranian people would overthrow the regime.
The statement claimed that the opposite occurred and, due to the efforts of the Iranian people and the "unparalleled bravery of Islam’s fighters," Israel "saved itself from the edge of the abyss through mediation and resorting to cessation of fighting."
The second war referred to the Iranian anti-regime protests that broke out in late December before facing brutal, deadly crackdowns over the following month.
In this war, which Khamenei was quoted as having referred to as "the January Coup," the Iranian government forced killed an estimated tens of thousands of protesters across the country.
The third war referred to the ongoing war being waged by Israel and the US against Iran.
Goldie Katz contributed to this report.
