The new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued his first statement since the country was attacked with US-Israeli weapons.His father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, previously served as Iran’s Supreme Leader, but was killed by a drone attack in the country’s capital, Tehran, on the first day the conflict (28 Feb). Mojtaba also lost his mother, wife, and several other family members that day.Following the initial assault, Iran’s stand-up leaders fired ballistic missiles of their own in the direction of American and Israeli troops based in Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.According to Sky News, the newly elected leader was wounded during the airstrikes that killed his father.

Not yet having been seen in public, Mojtaba, 56, is said to have endured mild injuries, but has continued to work in the country’s top position.Yousef Pezeshkian, the son of Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, previously wrote in a post on Telegram: “I heard news about Mr Mojtaba being injured.I asked friends who were in contact. They said, thank God, he is healthy and there is no problem.”Speaking to Iranian state media on Thursday (12 Mar), as cited by the BBC, Mojtaba ​Khamenei said that the country will not hesitate to ‘avenge the blood of Iranians’ who have been killed.His message was read out by a news anchor, and he did not appear on camera.He reportedly said that it especially applies to the case in Minab, where a strike near an all-girls elementary school killed 168 people, including around 110 children.Iran claims the school was hit by a US missile; however, America has denied responsibility while it investigates.In his message, the new Supreme Leader also said that the ‘lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz’ should still be used by Iran.