Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed Wednesday to continue backing anti-American and anti-Israel terrorist groups across the Middle East, directly rebuking one of President Trump’s stated objectives in the ongoing war with Tehran.

“I firmly declare that the consistent policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in continuing the path of the late Imam and martyred leader, is based on continuing to support the resistance against the Zionist-American enemy,” Khamenei said in a statement read aloud by state television.

Khamenei, who has not been seen publicly since sustaining injuries during the opening strikes of the war, has continued issuing directives through state media anchors since ascending to power last month. His latest statement was directed specifically at Hezbollah.

The supreme leader’s prolonged absence has fueled speculation about the severity of his condition. U.S. intelligence assessments indicate he may have been badly injured in the same strikes that killed his father — the longtime supreme leader — along with most of his family on the first day of the war. Reports suggest he suffered a fractured foot and multiple minor injuries, though the full extent remains unclear.

Trump and others have publicly questioned whether Khamenei is still alive. Ali Bahreini, Iran’s representative to the United Nations office in Geneva, has insisted the supreme leader is in “full health” and remains out of public view solely for security reasons.

Wednesday’s declaration came as Iran’s proxy network showed no signs of standing down. Houthi rebels fired a third barrage of ballistic missiles at Israel, continuing a pattern of escalation by Tehran-aligned forces across the region.

The defiant statement also came hours after Trump claimed on Truth Social that Iran had asked the United States for a ceasefire — an assertion Tehran swiftly denied, calling it “false and baseless.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)