Iran's new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has issued a written message thanking the people of Iraq for supporting Iran in its war against the United States and Israel, according to Iranian media. The message expressed gratitude to Iraq's top Shia religious authority and praised Iraqis for their stance against what it described as aggression toward Iran.

Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei who was killed in an airstrike on February 28, has not appeared in public since being appointed earlier this month. He has released only a few written statements, none accompanied by video or audio, fueling speculation about his health and his control over the government and military. State media have suggested he is recovering from injuries sustained in an airstrike, though details remain unclear.

Reports from American and Israeli officials have claimed that he is wounded and isolated, while Israeli sources say the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and certain clerics have strengthened their grip on power. United States President Donald Trump said Washington was in contact with a senior Iranian figure but not the supreme leader, adding uncertainty about Mojtaba Khamenei's status.

Intelligence agencies from the United States and Israel are reportedly attempting to determine his whereabouts as he remains unseen. Mojtaba Khamenei is the third supreme leader of Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, succeeding his father and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.