TEHRAN, April 10 (V7N) – Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday the Islamic republic does not want war with the United States or Israel but will continue to defend its legitimate rights, according to a message broadcast on state television.  

“We did not seek war and we do not want it,” Khamenei said in the statement, weeks after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed on February 28, the first day of the conflict. He added that Iran considers “the entire resistance front as a whole,” in apparent reference to Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Tehran’s ally Hezbollah.  

Iran this week agreed to a fragile two-week ceasefire with the United States that could pave the way for peace negotiations, following threats of annihilation from U.S. President Donald Trump.  

Khamenei urged Iranians to remain active in public demonstrations, saying: “Your voices in public squares are undoubtedly influential in the outcome of the negotiations.”  

The new leader, reportedly wounded in the strike that killed his father, has not appeared in public since his appointment. He has issued written declarations read out by state TV presenters, while Iranian media has released photos claiming to show him recovering, though without specifying when they were taken.  

END/WD/RH