TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, led Friday prayers and delivered a public sermon for the first time in nearly five years.
A significant crowd gathered at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosallah Mosque as Khamenei addressed attendees following a massive missile strike aimed at Israel.
In his sermon, Khamenei described Israel as a common enemy of the Muslim world and urged Muslim leaders to unite against it. He also condemned the violence occurring in Gaza and Lebanon, emphasizing support for the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.
This rare sermon marks Khamenei’s first since January 2020, when he led prayers shortly after Iran launched missiles at a U.S. army base in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of revered Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani.
Khamenei, who has faced multiple assassination attempts, led the prayers at Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque, recalling a past suicide bombing that targeted him 39 years ago. On March 15, 1985, a bomber detonated explosives during a crowded prayer session at Tehran University while Khamenei, then serving as President, was delivering a sermon. Fortunately, he emerged unscathed from that attack, although several others were killed.