Iran's wounded Supreme Leader Khamenei breaks six-month silence to urge Gulf rulers to 'confront your real enemy'

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since sustaining injuries in US-Israeli airstrikes half a year ago, has broken his silence with a written statement calling on Muslim nations to unite against America and Israel. Published on Khamenei's Telegram account to coincide with Islamic Unity Week, the message called on Gulf rulers to identify their "real enemy, understand his plan and confront it." It marks his first public communication in months; the airstrikes that triggered the Iran war also killed his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The statement argued that Muslim disunity benefits only their enemies.

Khamenei posed a direct question to Gulf rulers: would 'rogues without identity' dare covet their lands if Muslims were united under Islam?

The appeal carries sharp irony: Tehran has itself struck US military facilities and Gulf state infrastructure during the ongoing conflict.

The statement echoes a domestic order Khamenei issued on Friday banning actions that harm Iranian social cohesion and forbidding officials from making 'discouraging statements'.