Mojtaba Khamenei Sends Eid al-Fitr Greetings Amid Iran-Israel Conflict

TEHRAN – Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, extended Eid al-Fitr greetings to Muslims worldwide Saturday, as the Islamic Republic continues to engage in conflict with the United States and Israel.

In a post on X, Khamenei stated that this year, the “springtime of spirituality and the springtime of nature—namely, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha—coincide.” He offered congratulations to all Iranian citizens on the occasion of both religious and national holidays. “I congratulate all Muslims around the world on the opportunity to celebrate Eid al-Fitr,” he wrote.

Khamenei expressed condolences and sympathy to all families and victims, including “martyrs,” from the war against Israel, January’s attempted coup, the conflict with the US-Israel alliance, and those lost in security and border incidents. He stated that Iranians have endured three military and security conflicts in the past year. The first, he said, was a “June war” in which “the Zionist enemy, with the special assistance of the United States and amidst negotiations, killed around 1,000 of our citizens.”

A statement read on Iranian state television Friday did not include any video or audio of Khamenei, following the dissemination of his address to the Iranian people. According to the Associated Press, Khamenei asserted that the Iranian people had “delivered such a bewildering blow that the enemy fell into contradictions and irrational statements.”

In a written message for Nowruz, the Persian New Year, Khamenei claimed victory over the US and Israel, stating that “at the moment, due to the particular unity that has been created between you our compatriots — despite all the differences in religious, intellectual, cultural and political origins — the enemy has been defeated.”

Mojtaba Khamenei has not made a public appearance since being appointed to succeed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike. He has so far only issued written statements. US President Donald Trump has publicly questioned whether the new Iranian leader is still alive, stating, “We don’t know… if he’s dead or not,” according to remarks made at the White House on March 16, 2026. Trump also suggested that reports indicate Khamenei may be “badly disfigured.”

The appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei followed a period of intense conflict. Iranian state TV announced his succession on March 8, 2026, stating the decision was based on “strong” votes. He had been considered a contender even before his father’s death, despite never holding an elected or appointed government position. General Mohsen Rezaei, the former chief of the Revolutionary Guards, has been appointed as a military advisor, according to the Mehr news agency.

More than 1,300 people have been killed in Iran since the conflict began, and in Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes have resulted in over 1,000 deaths and the displacement of more than a million people, according to official estimates.