Iran supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei declares victory over 'enemies' in defiant Eid & Nowruz address

In a message marking the Persian New Year and extending Eid al-Fitr greetings to Muslims around the world, Mojtaba Khamenei commended both the Iranian people and the nation’s armed forces for their resilience.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, on Friday declared victory over what he called the country’s “enemies” in a defiant address marking both Eid al-Fitr and Nowruz, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV. He said Iran had achieved “significant victories” in what he described as a “third imposed war.”

In his message, Khamenei praised the resilience of the Iranian people and the strength of the country’s armed forces. He also claimed that efforts by adversaries to instill fear and despair among Iranians had failed.

In a post on X, Khamenei elaborated on what he characterized as three major conflicts faced by Iran over the past year. He referred first to the “June war,” saying, “In the past year, our people have experienced three military and security wars. The first war was the June war, when the Zionist enemy, with the support of the United States and in the midst of negotiations, martyred about 1,000 of our fellow citizens. During the first war in June, the enemy thought it would be the people who would overthrow the Islamic system. But with the people’s vigilance and the unparalleled bravery of Islam’s fighters, signs of desperation appeared among them, and they were forced into mediation and a cessation of fighting.”

He then described a second episode, which he called the “January Coup,” saying, “The second war was the January Coup, when the US and the Zionist regime, believing that the Iranian people were moving toward the enemy’s vision due to economic problems, used their mercenaries to create countless disasters.”

Turning to the present, he referred to an ongoing “third war,” saying, “The third war is the one we are now in the middle of, and on its first day, with tearful eyes and broken hearts, we bade farewell to our great leader.”

He added, “This year, the spring of spirituality and the spring of nature, namely the auspicious Eid al-Fitr and the age-old festival of Nowruz, have coincided, and I congratulate all the people of the nation on these two religious and national occasions. I also congratulate all Muslims around the world on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr.”

Khamenei further said, “I express my condolences and sympathy to the families and survivors of the martyrs of the second imposed war, the January Coup, the third imposed war, as well as the security and border martyrs.”

The toll of the conflict

Now in its 21st day, the conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel has caused widespread devastation across the region. Iran has been particularly affected, with more than 2,300 people reported killed, including over 1,300 civilians, nearly 200 of them children under the age of 12.

The conflict began on February 28, following joint strikes by Israel and the United States on Iranian territory that reportedly killed several senior officials. In response, Iran launched missile and drone attacks targeting US military installations and strategic sites across West Asia, including in Iraq, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Iranian authorities have since indicated that they may suspend strikes on neighboring countries, provided their territories are not used to launch attacks against Iran.