Khamenei's Son Breaks Silence With Message to Gulf Rulers
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei — who has not appeared publicly since the strikes that killed his father in February — issued a written message urging Gulf rulers to identify their “real enemy” and calling for Muslim unity, as the war passed six months. Washington meanwhile cut an Egyptian bank’s UAE branches from the dollar system; President Pezeshkian conceded “we must accept these wartime conditions”. Hormuz transits run at a fifth of pre-war levels.
A supreme leader who leads by Telegram message is itself the story: six months after inheriting the title in a bunker, Mojtaba Khamenei remains invisible, and every written communiqué deepens the question of who actually governs Iran — the unseen son, the Guard that speaks on Hormuz, or the president who admits the sanctions hurt. The message’s target audience matters more than its theology: the Gulf monarchies hosting American assets are being offered a choice of framings — neighbours or enemies — while their tankers idle. The CENTCOM numbers tell the material truth: cleared lanes or not, four-fifths of the traffic is gone. Watch whether Mojtaba ever surfaces — and which Gulf capital first tests the “real enemy” invitation.