Iran’s “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has made his first public appearance since Iran’s defeat in the 12-Day War.
Khamenei spent the entirety of the war, and its aftermath until now, hiding in a security bunker, although he released a recorded public statement on June 26.
The 86-year-old ayatollah resurfaced on Saturday when he attended a religious ceremony at a mosque located near his home and offices in the capital, Tehran. The ceremony marked the Shiite Muslim holiday of Ashura, a downbeat event that mourns the battlefield death of Imam Hussein, who was the grandson of Islam’s prophet Muhammad.
Hussein was a pivotal figure in the schism between Shia and Sunni Islam, so his death was a historic event in the eyes of Shiites, who commemorate his passing by re-enacting various events of the battle that killed him. Sunni Muslims also observe Ashura as a holiday, but for a different reason, as the day the prophet Musa (Moses) parted the Red Sea.
Khamenei reportedly made no comments to the crowd at the modest Ashura ceremony he attended. Reuters reported there were “dozens” of attendees, while Iran’s state-run PressTV described it as a “large gathering of people from various walks of life.” Both sources agreed the crowd stood and chanted as Khamenei made his entrance.
“The themes of resistance and perseverance against oppression in the wake of the 12-day Israeli aggression on Iran featured in the remarks of Hojjatoleslam Masoud A’ali who addressed the event,” PressTV said, “underscoring the importance of the lessons from the martyrdom of Imam Hussein.”
“Drawing from the teachings of Ashura, the Iranian nation will never surrender to the false front, because it has adopted the slogan ‘Never to humiliation’ as its guiding principle,” A’ali said.
Iran’s defeat in the war was quite humiliating by any rational standard, but the regime is seeking to portray it as a victory of “resistance” and “defiance” because Iran has not formally surrendered its nuclear program.
Khamenei’s recorded statement on June 26 likewise claimed Iran secured “victory over Israel” and delivered a mighty “slap to America’s face” by launching a handful of missiles at a largely abandoned airbase in Qatar.
President Donald Trump publicly chided the ayatollah for his delusional remarks.
“Look, you’re a man of great faith. A man who’s highly respected in his country. You have to tell the truth. You got beat to hell,” Trump told Khamenei via social media.
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