Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said that “revenge” must be carried out for the killing of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by the United States and Israel.
“Revenge is the demand of our nation and must certainly be carried out,” a statement carried by state-linked Fars news agency and attributed to him read.
The pledge will be fulfilled “soon” whether “we are present or not,” the statement read.
The warning came just hours after US President Donald Trump threatened to “decimate” Iran if it tries to kill him.
Israeli intelligence operatives recently told the Trump administration of alleged threats to assassinate the US leader. The threats, according to an Israeli source and a US official, reflect a desire among some factions of Tehran’s hardline leadership. However, two US sources familiar with the matter said recent US intelligence assessments show no indication of a new, specific Iranian plot to kill Trump, but rather a steady drumbeat of chatter about various Iranian actors wanting to do so.
The new supreme leader has yet to appear in public since his appointment.
Believed to have been wounded in the February attack by Israel and the US that killed his father, mother and wife, the new supreme leader has remained in hiding since the war began, communicating with his supporters only through written statements, never showing his face or using his voice.
Saturday’s message is one of a handful of messages that have been released since Khamenei’s appointment.
CNN’s Mostafa Salem, Zachary Cohen and Tal Shalev contributed reporting.
