‘Far beyond missiles and drones’: Mojtaba Khamenei vows to confront ‘global arrogance’ in Eid al-Fitr and Nowruz message

Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that Iran’s ongoing conflict with Israel and the United States extends “far beyond missiles, drones, torpedoes, and battlefield,” framing it as a broader struggle.

In his message marking Eid al-Fitr and Nowruz, Khamenei expressed condolences to families of those killed in the conflict and praised what he described as Iran’s “relentless resistance” to “global arrogance.”

“This year, the spring of spirituality and the spring of nature… have coincided, and I congratulate all the people of the nation,” he said, referring to the overlap of the two festivals.

Khamenei, who assumed leadership after the death of his father Ali Khamenei in a US-Israeli strike at the start of the war on February 28, also invoked a religious message calling for transformation “to the best of circumstances.”

Addressing the conflict, he said Iran had faced “three military and security wars” over the past year. He described a previous round of fighting in June as an attack by Israel “with the special help” of the United States, claiming hundreds were killed and that the opposing side later sought mediation to halt the fighting.

He also characterized January protests inside Iran as a “second war” and a “coup,” alleging they were backed by the US and Israel amid economic unrest.

Washington has maintained its actions were “pre-emptive,” with Donald Trump arguing that Iran posed an imminent threat. Tehran has rejected that claim, insisting it does not initiate attacks during negotiations.

Iran’s foreign minister reiterated that stance on Friday, warning that the country would respond forcefully to any strike on its infrastructure, saying there would be “zero restraint” if such attacks occur.