Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has pledged to avenge the killing of his father, former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and all martyrs who died in recent wars. In a written message released on social media on Saturday, Mojtaba declared that Iran would take revenge on the perpetrators and that the act of retribution was inevitable, regardless of who leads the country.

He emphasized that the pursuit of revenge was not dependent on any individual or official, asserting that it would be carried out whether or not the current leadership remains in place. Mojtaba also expressed gratitude to the millions who attended mourning ceremonies across Iran and Iraq, praising the “historic and defiant” turnout in cities including Tehran, Qom, Najaf, Karbala, and Mashhad.

The message was issued following the burial of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family members at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad late Thursday night, after a state funeral held several months after his death.