Following the selection of Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei as Iran's new Supreme Leader, the nation's Defense Council and IRGC Navy have issued formal declarations of absolute obedience, prominently referring to his predecessor as a martyred leader.
Top Iranian military and defense commands have formally pledged their allegiance to Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei following his selection as the third Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution. Official statements circulated by state-aligned media and military networks reveal unified messaging centered on absolute loyalty to the new leader, while notably referring to his predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as having been martyred.
Defense Council Vows Obedience According to a statement published by the state-aligned regional outlet Khorasan Online, the Defense Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran formally congratulated the nation and the Mahdi (Imam of the Time) on the selection of Mojtaba Khamenei. Quoting a Quranic verse about God bringing better or similar verses to replace abrogated ones, the Council declared its allegiance to their new master. The statement vowed that, mirroring the brave martyred commanders of the Ramadan War, the Council will remain "until the last drop of blood the guardian of the revolution's values and obedient to the Commander-in-Chief and Guardian of the Muslims." IRGC Navy Covenants 'Blood and Faith' Simultaneously, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy issued a similar oath. As reported by the hardline military-affiliated IRGC News Channel, the naval commander praised Mojtaba Khamenei as the standard-bearer of Ruhollah Khomeini's path and the continuator of the "proud path of the martyred leader Ayatollah Grand Imam Seyyed Ali Khamenei."Framing the pledge as a covenant of "blood and faith," the IRGC Navy declared absolute obedience to the divine Wilayat (Guardianship). The troops vowed to remain guardians of the Islamic Republic's authority until their last breath, stating that in every moment and on every battlefield, their cry will be: "We are not the people of Kufa to leave Ali alone."
The source texts notably refer to the previous Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as 'martyred' (شهید), indicating his death occurred under non-natural circumstances that trigger this specific designation within state media. The rhetoric across both channels is heavily laden with Shia religious-military motifs—specifically referencing 'the people of Kufa'—to demand unyielding loyalty and preemptively frame any dissent against Mojtaba Khamenei's succession as religious betrayal.