Communication with Supreme Leader Mojtaba ‘very difficult at moment’: Iranian President

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said communication with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei remains difficult but described his leadership as a source of strength. He accused the US and Israel of killing Ali Khamenei and said Iran continues to withstand sanctions and conflict 

Tehran: Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said communication with Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is very “difficult at the moment,” but his presence is a “great strength” for the country to continue its path.

The United States and Israel killed Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Feb. 28 out of “desperation,” expecting Iran to collapse after the “brutal” action, Pezeshkian said in an interview published on the website of his office on Wednesday (local time).

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“However, the country continued, and our (new) beloved leader was selected,” he said. “Our new dear leader’s presence is a very great strength for us to be able to continue this path, although communication with him is very difficult at the moment.” He said Iran is facing its “most difficult” circumstances, citing intensified banking sanctions, curbs on foreign transactions, a naval blockade, and an ongoing war, reports Xinhua news agency.

Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Ali Khamenei, was selected as Iran’s new supreme leader by the country’s Assembly of Experts in early March. This comes against the backdrop of Iran and Oman almost finalising an agreement on new arrangements for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, under which the temporary northern and southern routes will be replaced by a new single route passing through Iran’s territorial waters for two to four months.

Meanwhile, an informed source close to the Iranian negotiating team told semi-official Fars news agency that the reopening of the strait hinges on tangible US implementation of its commitments, adding that the US Treasury Department’s removal of sanctions on an Iraqi airline on Wednesday was unrelated to the Iran-US MoU. Iran tightened its control over the Strait of Hormuz on February 28, barring safe passage of vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States, following their joint strikes on Iranian territory.

The US military launched multiple waves of strikes against Iranian targets last month, saying they were in response to Iranian attacks on vessels in the strait and aimed at “degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.” Iran responded with missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases and facilities in the region.