According to a report by Al Jazeera on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei has released a statement marking Hajj and Eid al-Adha, issuing strong remarks on regional developments and the broader geopolitical situation.

In the message published through Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, Khamenei said Israel “must certainly be uprooted and it will be,” describing it as what he called a “dangerous and deadly cancerous tumour of this region.”

He stated that Iran had previously “rendered the Zionist regime helpless under its devastating blows,” referring to what he described as a second imposed conflict, which he also characterised as a “harsh slap” to the United States.

Khamenei’s message was released as millions of Muslims observe the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, a period during which political and religious messages from regional leaders often gain wider attention across the Islamic world.

He also referenced the symbolic significance of this year’s pilgrimage season, saying calls for disavowing the United States and Israel had taken on renewed importance. According to the statement, slogans such as “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” would, in his view, continue to feature prominently within what he described as the Islamic Ummah.

The Supreme Leader further stated that “the future belongs to the Islamic Ummah and the new Islamic civilization,” presenting his vision of long-term regional and ideological change under Islamic leadership.

The remarks come amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East, where political disputes, security concerns, and shifting alliances continue to shape relations between Iran, Israel, the United States, and other regional actors.

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