Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vows revenge for father's death

TEHRAN: Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader, has vowed to avenge the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike. He made the pledge in a message posted on social media during funeral ceremonies held months after his father's death.

Mojtaba said the people of the Islamic Republic are seeking justice for Ali Khamenei and others killed in the war. He vowed that Iran would take revenge for the deaths of its leader and other "martyrs."

"We pledge to avenge the blood of our martyred leader and the other martyrs killed in these two wars against those disgraced criminal killers," Mojtaba Khamenei said in the message.

He added that Iran's response would not depend on his presence or that of any other official.

"Whether we are here or not, that revenge will be carried out," he said.

Mojtaba also praised the millions of people who took part in mourning processions across Iran and Iraq. He thanked those who gathered in Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala and Mashhad, saying the massive crowds sent a strong message to Iran's enemies.

Ali Khamenei was killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike on his office in Tehran on February 28. His funeral was held months later, and he was buried late on Thursday night at the Imam Reza Shrine in Mashhad.

A day before Mojtaba's statement, US President Donald Trump commented on an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate him. In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said he has been on Iran's assassination target list for a long time.