Iran's supreme leader vows killers of father 'will be held accountable'

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed on Saturday to avenge the killing of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, saying those responsible for his killing would be held accountable.

In a written statement published on the supreme leader's Telegram account and reported by Iranian media, Mojtaba Khamenei described avenging his father as "a necessary national demand" and said, "the free people of the world will soon begin part of the mission of revenge".

The statement was issued a day after funeral ceremonies concluded for the former supreme leader, who was buried in the city of Mashhad following a week of commemorations across Iran and Iraq.

Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to avenge the blood of "the martyred commander and all the martyrs of these last two wars from the convicted criminal perpetrators".

"The killers of the late leader should know that they will be held accountable for their crimes," he said.

"Revenge does not depend on my presence or the presence of the rest of the officials," he added.

The Iranian leader said revenge "must be achieved" and asserted that supporters around the world would play a role in carrying out that mission.

Ali Khamenei was buried on Friday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.

Funeral ceremonies began a week earlier in Tehran and Qom before extending to the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala.

The former supreme leader was killed on 28 February in a US-Israeli strike and was succeeded by his son, Mojtaba Khamenei. 

Tensions remain high

Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since assuming office, though he has issued several written statements amid reports that he was wounded in the same attack that killed his father.

Reuters, citing senior sources in Tehran, reported that the Iranian leader is recovering from his injuries but has not yet recovered sufficiently to make a public appearance.

The report said security officials were also limiting his public exposure amid concerns over potential attacks.

The statement comes as tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran, with the ceasefire agreed in last month's memorandum of understanding (MoU) increasingly strained. 

Iran said that US air strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday killed 17 people and wounded 115 others in six cities across Iran. 

On Friday, the US issued new sanctions on Iran targeting a key financier for Iran's new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, and 13 other individuals and entities, the US Treasury Department said.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, criticised the US over its failure to uphold the interim agreement, adding that Washington's actions demonstrate a clear breach of established commitments.