Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vows to avenge the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his own predecessor. Multiple outlets report that Khamenei issues the pledge in a written message released on his Telegram account during funeral ceremonies for his father. Reuters and other summaries say the statement frames revenge as a national obligation and “must certainly” happen. The message also pledges to avenge the blood of the “martyred leader” and other martyrs associated with “these two wars,” while characterizing the killings as carried out by “criminal” and “disgraced” actors.

The outlets also place the announcement in the broader context of recent U.S. and Israeli strikes. Several reports refer to Ali Khamenei’s death as occurring months after he was killed in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28. Coverage additionally notes that the pledge comes shortly after President Donald Trump warns against any attempt to assassinate him, which several outlets link to the timing and heightened rhetoric around retaliatory messaging.