In rare written message, Khamenei’s successor urges Gulf monarchies to recognize their ‘real enemy’ and resist U.S. influence.
TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei urged Gulf rulers in a written message Sunday to identify their “real enemy” and confront it, while the country’s president acknowledged that U.S. sanctions are significantly damaging Iran’s economy.
The message, published on Khamenei’s Telegram account to mark the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, called for unity, mutual defense against “enemies” and cooperation among Muslims worldwide .
Khamenei has not been seen in public since being injured in U.S.-Israeli airstrikes six months ago that launched the war, killing his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei .
In a separate development, President Masoud Pezeshkian admitted in a state television interview late Friday that American sanctions are taking a toll on the Islamic Republic’s economy, days after he said the latest measures would have little effect .
“Some say sanctions have no effect at all; to those people, I really don’t know what to say,” Pezeshkian said. “We are in a war situation, and we must accept these wartime conditions” .
Pezeshkian said Iran’s exports and imports have fallen 25% to 35% in recent months as the United States maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports .
His comments came days after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced plans for what he called the “economic asphyxiation” of Iran, warning of consequences for countries that do not join Washington’s campaign .
The latest measures build on a U.S. sanctions regime imposed after then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 international nuclear agreement with Iran in 2018 .
Pezeshkian also said Iran should raise petrol prices to reflect the decline in trade, proposing to increase the price of the “third-tier quota” from 5,000 tomans to 10,000 tomans, about 5 cents to 10 cents . Iran, a major oil producer with some of the world’s cheapest fuel, has for years heavily subsidized petrol, making any changes politically sensitive .
