Iran seeks revenge for killing of Khamenei

Iran’s state policy is one of revenge against the United States and Israel—not just individuals—even after Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leave office.

By Shay Khatiri, Middle East Forum

The Islamic Republic’s delegation visited New York between September 22 and 26, 2026, to participate in the annual United Nations General Assembly.

On the sidelines, they met with President Donald Trump’s diplomatic envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and offered a ceasefire deal, which Trump rejected.

While the Trump administration appears eager for an off-ramp to end the war, there is no indication that the two sides have discussed what may be the most important point for Iran’s leaders.

The war’s first strike resulted in the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and the Islamic Republic remains committed to avenging him.

Principalists, often labeled hardliners in Western discourse, tried to discredit the summer negotiations and the resulting Memorandum of Understanding, objecting that a ceasefire would mean overlooking revenge.

Prominent journalist Mohsen Mehdian asked, “So what happened to the retribution for our martyred imam?” Military cleric Ali Shirazi said, “Avenging [Khamenei] is the main demand of the Iranian nation.”

Eventually, on July 11, 2026, Iran issued a statement to ease concerns under Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s name.

It praised the virtues of his late father, invoked the fervor of the 680 ad Battle of Karbala, and then addressed the dead man:

“We pledge to avenge your honored blood and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal and shameless murderers. This revenge is the will of our nation and should definitely happen.”

If he is alive, Mojtaba has a personal reason to avenge his father’s death as a son with the resources of a state under his command.

It also makes sense to enforce deterrence against decapitation as a matter of policy.

Regardless of who wrote this letter, it is now state policy, and Iranian media and officials reflect it.

Four days after Mojtaba’s statement, Ayatollah Alireza Arafi, the powerful head of the seminaries who served on the interim Supreme Leadership Council, made clarifying comments on the Memorandum of Understanding and the unresolved issue of Khamenei’s killing:

“Asking for revenge and retribution for the martyred imam and other martyrs of the recent two wars is a necessary and certain issue, does not depend on the coming and going of individuals and administrations, and will certainly happen.”

Iran’s state policy, therefore, is one of revenge against the United States and Israel—not just individuals—even after Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leave office.

The prospects of a new agreement have revived the issue of revenge.

On September 25, 2026, Abolfazl Shekarchi, the senior spokesperson for the armed forces, said, “We will not forgive the murderers of the martyred imam or the children of Minab even after the war, and we will execute their sentences.”

Paydari faction journalist Meysam Nili attacked reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian on the same day:

“The people of Iran certainly seek revenge and the murder of that yellow pig and drawing the blood of all murderers of the martyred imam and children of Iran,” he said.

This is not a unified position. The Islamic Republic News Agency, overseen by the Pezeshkian administration, conducted a “study” of the 57 times Ali Khamenei mentioned revenge.

It concluded that most of the time, Khamenei associated revenge with something “the enemy” does, while Ali ibn Hussyn, the fourth Shi’ite imam and son of Hussayn Ibn Ali, did not seek to avenge his father.

Yet, this view, whether a majority or a minority position within the regime, is a muted one.

Iran previously sought to assassinate Trump and other American officials for killing General Qassem Soleimani in January 2020.

It will continue to do so with greater rigor, adding that Arafi’s comments hint that future presidents will not be immune, either.

What this means for U.S. negotiators is simple. Rather than elide the issue, any agreement to permanently end hostilities should explicitly require Iran to renounce revenge on Americans and Israelis.

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