Iran's Mojtaba Khamenei urges unity, warns against exposing weaknesses

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has resumed sending written messages to the Iranian people, continuing his absence from public appearances in person or on video. In his latest message, he called on authorities to safeguard social cohesion and avoid any statements or actions that could weaken national and public motivation.

In a written statement published by Tasnim News Agency on Friday, Khamenei urged officials to refrain from making "discouraging remarks" that could harm social unity. He also warned against discussing the country's weaknesses, arguing that revealing them would serve the interests of Iran's adversaries.

On economic matters, the message emphasized the need to address challenges related to inflation, unemployment, prices, and the markets for goods and services, as well as to support growth, investment, and domestic production.

Khamenei stressed that reliance on domestic production should be a central pillar of economic policy, with imports used "correctly and wisely" only when local production cannot meet demand.

He also called for harnessing the technologies and innovations offered by young people, moving beyond traditional methods by employing modern capabilities in sectors such as agriculture, industry, culture, education, communications, and social affairs.

The Supreme Leader's message comes as Iran faces mounting economic and political pressures amid ongoing US sanctions on Tehran. Khamenei has not appeared in public since the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, in US strikes during the early days of the war on Iran in February, according to the source.

During his absence, Mojtaba Khamenei's communications with Iranians have been limited to a handful of written statements read by news anchors, and he was also absent from his father's funeral ceremonies held last month.