Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urged Muslim countries, particularly those in the Gulf, to unite against what he called their “real enemy” and stated that divisions among Muslims served the interests of their adversaries, reports BritPanorama.
Khamenei’s message was published on his Telegram account for Islamic Unity Week, which commemorates the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. In his communiqué, he called for Muslim unity, collaboration in various areas, and mutual defense, asserting that any effort to create divisions among Muslims, “knowingly or unknowingly,” aids Islam’s enemies.
He questioned whether Palestinians would have been left “so helpless” if Muslims had stood united. Since being injured in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes six months ago, which escalated to the Iran war and resulted in the death of his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, this call for unity marks one of Khamenei’s few public communications.
Previously, he voiced similar sentiments to Iranians, emphasizing that he had prohibited actions harming social cohesion and urged officials to avoid “discouraging statements” that could weaken morale among the populace. He further challenged Gulf Arab rulers by asking if “rogues without identity” would have dared to covet their lands if the region’s peoples and governments were united under the flag of Islam.
Since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Gulf Arab monarchies have viewed Iran’s revolutionary ideology as a direct threat to their political structures due to its anti-monarchic rhetoric and regional ambitions. Amid the ongoing conflict, Tehran has targeted U.S. military facilities and other infrastructures within Gulf states, highlighting the escalating tensions between Tehran and its neighbors.
“My emphatic and repeated recommendation to the rulers of Islamic countries, especially the countries of West Asia and the Gulf, is to identify your real enemy, understand his plan and confront it,” Khamenei stated.
War weighs on Iran’s economy
Iranian officials have publicly recognized the economic ramifications of the war with the U.S.; Khamenei urged the government to address the hardships faced by citizens, with the Iranian president noting that foreign trade has contracted by a third due to American sanctions and the blockade. Despite this, Tehran showed no intention of retreating, vowing to withstand U.S. pressure while maintaining control over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, crucial for global energy markets.
In a statement reported by state media, the Iranian government stressed that alleviating economic pressures from sanctions and war remained a central focus, including managing inflation and fostering job creation through domestic production while lessening dependency on the dollar.
Six months into the conflict initiated by the U.S. and Israel, negotiations remain stalled. President Donald Trump’s administration has intensified efforts to financially isolate Iran under what it terms “economic D-Day.”
President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Iranian exports and imports have fallen nearly 35% due to the sanctions and a naval blockade on Iranian ports. Nonetheless, he noted that Iran managed to export about 90 million barrels of oil during a brief period in June when a memorandum of understanding allowed for Iranian oil sales.
Later, Pezeshkian urged state media for the revival of the interim agreement, which was signed in mid-June but failed to hold amid disputes regarding the status of the Strait of Hormuz. “We can solve our problems and gain our privileges with the memorandum of understanding,” he remarked of a document that provided Iran with immediate relief from U.S. sanctions and access to its frozen assets.
This situation remains fluid and reveals the intricate dynamics at play in the broader regional context, underscoring the fragility of stability in the region.
