Tuesday 26 / May / 2026
Tehran: In a significant diplomatic outreach amid shifting geopolitical alignments in West Asia, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has extended a sweeping invitation to Muslim nations to collaborate with Tehran in addressing regional instabilities.
The Iranian leader expressed these views on Tuesday in a post on X. Striking a collaborative tone, the statement positioned Tehran as a willing partner in fostering regional ties during the annual Hajj season.
In his post on X, the Supreme Leader said, "I, with sincerity and purity of intention, invite all Islamic countries and governments to friendship and cooperation in goodness, so that, by working together, we may take steps towards the advancement of the Islamic Ummah and the resolution of the Islamic world's problems."
Earlier in the day, however, the Supreme Leader had struck a distinctly sharper tone regarding external interference in the region. Delivering a severe warning to Washington following a major flare-up in the Arabian Gulf, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei declared on Tuesday that regional territories would no longer act as protective zones for US military installations, asserting that Washington would no longer have a "safe haven for mischief".
These remarks follow recent US military strikes targeting Iranian missile launch positions and maritime vessels in the vicinity of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
The Pentagon defended those actions as an exercise in "self-defence", even as the hostilities threatened a fragile ceasefire agreement and complicated ongoing backchannel diplomatic initiatives aimed at de-escalating the crisis.
Expanding on these warnings in a subsequently released, strongly worded written statement, the Supreme Leader issued a stark ultimatum regarding the American military presence in West Asia.
"The hand of time does not turn back, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases," Mojtaba said in a written statement. "America will no longer have a safe haven for mischief and the establishment of military bases in the region."
Paying tribute to his predecessor and father, the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba maintained that Iran's strategic capabilities had undergone a spiritual revival following the leadership transition earlier this year.
He stated, "The weapon of God is great; it bestowed such strength and power upon the Iranian nation that, following the heart-wrenching event of the martyrdom of the great leader, the worthy successor of the Noble Messenger, His Eminence Ayatollah al-Uzma Sayyid Ali Husayni Khamenei, at the hands of the villains of today's world, it found divine resurrection."
Directly confronting Washington and its primary regional ally, the Iranian leader went on to laud the operational readiness of the Islamic Republic's regular military forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
"The valiant mujahideen and self-sacrificing armed forces, placing their trust in the Divine Lord and by means of their missiles and drones on land, in the air, and at sea, hurled [their weapons] at the Great Satan, namely America, and its trained beast, the Zionist regime, and beheld with their own eyes the fulfilment of God's true promise of victory to the warriors striving in His path," he said.
He further claimed that the geopolitical clock was running out for Tel Aviv, referencing a historical prediction regarding the longevity of the state.
"The shaky Zionist regime and the cancerous tumour of Israel have also drawn near to the final stages of their cursed demise, and by the grace of God and in accordance with the decisive and prescient statement of the supremely dignified Leader ten years ago, it shall not see twenty-five years hence from that date, God willing," he added.
According to the written address, Tehran's recent military operations have succeeded in rendering Israel "helpless", striking "devastating blows" in the war.
Mojtaba concluded by stating that the Islamic Republic had delivered "a harsh slap to the aggressor America" and thwarted "the enemy in its goal of forcing Iran's surrender".
