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MembersHoly war: Ali Khamenei’s appeal to the Sunnis

A cry for help cloaked in religious garb. Khamenei’s desperate plea to the Islamic world.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a televised address in Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025. Khamenei said Israel had "made a grave mistake" following the attacks on Iran, adding that Iranian forces would respond to the aggression. EPA-EFE/SUPREME LEADER OFFICE.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a televised address in Tehran, Iran, on June 13, 2025. Khamenei said Israel had "made a grave mistake" following the attacks on Iran, adding that Iranian forces would respond to the aggression. EPA-EFE/SUPREME LEADER OFFICE.

When the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran begins publicly quoting the Koran, and not in just any context but in the shadow of airstrikes shaking Tehran’s nuclear program, it’s clear: this is about more than politics. It’s about faith, identity, and holy war.

Citing Surah 3 signals a religious mobilization of all Muslims against Israel. In his latest tweet, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei quoted verse 126 from Surah Al-Imran, “The Family of Imran,” a passage in the Koran associated with Allah’s encouragement before a battle:

“And victory comes only from Allah, the Almighty, the All-Wise.” (Surah 3:126)

This verse is no coincidence but a deliberate religious-political signal. When I hear such verses from the mouths of Muslim leaders in the context of Israel, something stirs within me. What’s happening here is more than religious ornamentation—it’s an attempt to legitimize a nationalist war as a holy war, a rhetoric of religious warfare that often baffles people in the West. And it makes total sense in the context of the war with...

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About the author

Patrick Callahan

This is an example of author bio/description. Beard fashion axe trust fund, post-ironic listicle scenester. Uniquely mesh maintainable users rather than plug-and-play testing procedures.

2 responses to “Holy war: Ali Khamenei’s appeal to the Sunnis”

  1. AGR says:

    If an Iranian missile were to make a direct hit on the gold dome, would it not be blamed on Israel? Would that be used to try to bring Islam against Israel in mass human wave assaults?

  2. Franciscus says:

    Khameni is demonstrating that his theology has failed, Allah is not supporting him !

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