Iran’s supreme leader says Tehran will keep its course and retaliate against the U.S. and Israel

Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on July 11 in a written address that the country will continue the political line of the late supreme leader Ali Khamenei and will not alter its established policy direction because of the leader’s death, according to a newsflash carried by Odaily and citing CCTV International News. He said Iran would continue to safeguard its national independence and sovereignty. Mojtaba Khamenei again named the United States and Israel as responsible for the deaths of the late supreme leader and other victims. He said Iran would keep pursuing accountability and would deliver a retaliatory response. He also said seeking responsibility for the deaths is a shared demand of the Iranian people and that this objective will not change with a leadership transition. The statement, as cited in the report, framed continuity rather than policy change as Tehran’s position after the leadership loss.