The Islamic Republic’s delegation visited New York between September 22–26, 2026, to participate in the annual United Nations General Assembly. On the sidelines, they met with President Donald Trump’s diplomatic envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and offered a ceasefire deal, which Trump rejected. While the Trump administration appears eager for an off-ramp to end the war, there is no indication that the two sides have discussed what may be the most important point for Iran’s leaders.
The war’s first strike resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the Islamic Republic remains committed to avenging him. Principalists, often labeled hardliners in Western discourse, tried to discredit the summer negotiations and the resulting Memorandum of Understanding, objecting that a ceasefire would mean overlooking revenge. Prominent journalist Mohsen Mehdian asked, “So what happened to the retribution for our martyred imam?” Military cleric Ali Shirazi said, “Avenging [Khamenei] is the main demand of the Iranian nation.”
Eventually, on July 11, 2026, Iran issued a statement to ease concerns under Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s name. It praised the virtues of his late father, invoked the fervor of the 680 ad Battle of Karbala, and then addressed the dead man: “We pledge to avenge your honored blood and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and shameless murderers. This revenge is the will of our nation and should definitely happen.”
If he is alive, Mojtaba has a personal reason to avenge his father’s death as a son with the resources of a state under his command. It also makes sense to enforce deterrence against decapitation as a matter of policy. Regardless of who wrote this letter, it is now state policy, and Iranian media and officials reflect it.
Read the full article at Middle East Forum
Shay Khatiri is Yorktown Institute’s Vice President of Development.
