The supreme leader described the attack as the "minimum
punishment" for what he called Israel's "astonishing crimes"
while leading Friday prayers in the capital, something he has not done since
2020.
Khamenei's speech came three days after Iran fired nearly
200 missiles at Israel, in what it said was retaliation for the assassination
of Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
The Farsi-speaking supreme leader delivered part of his
speech in Arabic.
During his sermon, Khamenei praised Nasrallah and voiced
support for Hamas and Hezbollah, which he said provided "vital service to
the entire region and the entire Islamic world".
He said Iran-aligned armed groups "will not back
down" in their conflict with Israel, which entered a new phase after Hamas
raided Israel almost one year ago.
Iran is the main supporter of Hezbollah and Hamas, as well
as other armed groups around the Middle East which have attacked Israel. They
often dub themselves the "Axis of Resistance".
In recent weeks, several senior leaders of Iran-backed
groups and Iran's powerful military wing, the Revolutionary Guards, have been
killed in Israeli strikes or presumed Israeli assassinations.
The supreme leader's appearance in front of a crowd of tens
of thousands in Tehran is a sign of the gravity of the moment for the Iranian
regime, which is facing widespread domestic discontent.
It could be read as an attempt to show strength and restore
Iran’s credibility as leader of the “Axis of Resistance”.
The
public appearance was also intended to show that Khamenei is not in hiding,
after reports emerged that he had been taken to a secure location following
Nasrallah's assassination.
The Grand Mosalla Mosque was flooded with people after
Iranians were given free transport to attend the sermon. A large Palestinian
flag was seen in the crowd. Khamenei holds ultimate power in Iran, but very
rarely leads Friday prayers himself.
The last time he did was in 2020, after the US killed Iran's
most senior military commander, Qassem Soleimani. The time before that was in
2012.
Iran is still reeling from the loss of its allies Nasrallah
and Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran in
July.
Israel is widely considered to be behind Haniyeh's killing,
though it has never commented on his death.
Khamenei also told the crowd that Iran would retaliate if,
as expected, Israel launched a response to Tuesday's missile attack.
"If we needed to do that again, we would do it again in
the future," Khamenei told supporters.
On
Thursday, US President Joe Biden suggested a possible Israeli strike on Iran's
oil infrastructure had been discussed, as Israel continued to weigh up how to
strike back at Tehran.
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