In the fourth week of an open conflict between Iran and the combined forces of Israel and the United States, Tehran chose an unusual instrument of statecraft: an undated classroom video of its new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, quietly teaching religious doctrine. His father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an American strike on February 28 alongside senior security officials, and the son's ascension has unfolded against a backdrop of missile exchanges and regional coalition-building. Across the Middle East, the ancient contest between legitimacy and force plays out once more — states
Iran releases archival video of new Supreme Leader as regional conflict intensifies
Civilian populations in Israel received emergency alerts and were directed to protected spaces due to incoming Iranian missile strikes.
They save lives. The language was calm, but the implication was clear.
Mark
Why release that video now, of all moments? Why not wait for a ceasefire or some kind of pause?
Mimi
Because the video isn't really about the past. It's about legitimacy in the present. Mojtaba Khamenei is new to this role. His father held it for decades. State media is saying: this man is a scholar, a teacher, rooted in Islamic tradition. He belongs here.
Mark
But the world is watching missiles fly. Does a teaching video change anyone's mind about what's happening?
Mimi
Probably not in the West. But domestically, it matters. It tells Iranians that despite the death of their Supreme Leader, despite the strikes, the institution is stable. There's continuity. Authority flows from one generation to the next.
Mark
The US and UAE are coordinating against Iran. Is that new, or has that always been happening?
Mimi
The coordination itself isn't new, but the public framing is sharper now. They're naming Iranian aggression explicitly, calling it a violation of sovereignty. That's a way of building a coalition narrative—we're the defenders, they're the aggressors.
Mark
What about the civilians in Israel getting those alerts? How does that fit into the larger story?
Mimi
It's the human cost made visible. Families have minutes to reach shelter. The state is telling them: follow orders, stay alive. It's the opposite of the teaching video—not about continuity or authority, but about immediate survival. Both are happening at once.
El Pulso
- Iran's IRGC launched fresh missile salvos at Tel Aviv and other Israeli population centers, as well as US military installations across the region, marking no slowdown in the conflict's tempo.
- Israeli air defense systems activated in real time, and the Home Front Command pushed emergency alerts to civilian phones — families had minutes to reach shelters with no certainty of when the all-clear would come.
- Tehran simultaneously released a carefully framed archival video of new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei teaching students, a deliberate act of image-making designed to project institutional continuity amid the chaos of succession and war.
- The United States deepened its regional coalition posture as President Trump spoke with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, both condemning Iranian strikes on civilian infrastructure and reaffirming mutual defense commitments.
- With no de-escalation pathway visible and US-UAE coordination signaling a sustained coalition, the conflict is hardening from an escalation into something that resembles a protracted regional war.
In the fourth week of an open conflict between Iran and the combined forces of Israel and the United States, Tehran chose an unusual instrument of statecraft: an undated classroom video of its new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, quietly teaching religious doctrine. His father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in an American strike on February 28 alongside senior security officials, and the son's ascension has unfolded against a backdrop of missile exchanges and regional coalition-building. Across the Middle East, the ancient contest between legitimacy and force plays out once more — states reaching simultaneously for weapons and symbols, each trying to define what endures.
On a Friday when missiles were crossing into Israeli airspace, Iranian state television broadcast something deliberate and quiet: an old, undated video of Mojtaba Khamenei seated before a small group of students, teaching religious doctrine. It was, state media said, being shown for the first time. The timing was not accidental.
Three weeks earlier, on February 28, a US strike had killed Mojtaba's father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had governed Iran for decades. The same operation eliminated National Security Advisor Ali Larijani and Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib. Within days, the son assumed the title of Supreme Leader. Now, with the region in open conflict, state media was introducing him to the world not as a wartime commander but as a scholar — a man of learning and religious continuity.
The video's release coincided with a new wave of IRGC missile strikes targeting Tel Aviv and other cities in central and southern Israel, as well as American military bases across the region. Israeli air defenses activated immediately. Sirens sounded. The Home Front Command sent emergency alerts to civilian phones, instructing residents to move into protected spaces and stay there until explicitly told otherwise. The language was measured; the situation was not.
By that evening, the conflict had entered its fourth week with no visible path toward de-escalation. On the same day, US President Trump spoke by phone with UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed. Both condemned what they called Iran's continuous aggressions against civilian populations, and Trump reaffirmed full American commitment to the security of regional allies.
The classroom video served two purposes at once: to signal that the Islamic Republic's leadership structure had survived the February strike intact, and to frame the new Supreme Leader in terms of religious authority rather than military crisis. Whether the footage was recent or decades old, no one could say. What the regime wanted to convey was simpler — the system endured, the teaching continued, and the machinery of the state remained in motion even as the missiles flew.
On Friday, as missiles crossed the sky toward Israeli territory, state television in Tehran broadcast something carefully curated: an old video of the country's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, seated before a small group of students, teaching religious doctrine. The footage carried no date. Iranian state media said it was being shown for the first time.
The timing was deliberate. Three weeks earlier, on February 28, an American strike had killed Mojtaba's father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who had ruled Iran for decades. The elder Khamenei was 86. In the same operation, the US eliminated Ali Larijani, the National Security Advisor, and Esmail Khatib, the Minister of Intelligence. Within days, the son assumed the title of Supreme Leader—the highest office in the Islamic Republic. Now, as the region burned, state media was introducing him to the world in the role he had inherited: a scholar, a teacher, a man of religious authority.
The video release came as Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a fresh wave of missile strikes. The targets included Tel Aviv and other cities in central and southern Israel, as well as American military installations scattered across the region. The Israeli Defense Forces confirmed the launches within minutes. Air defense systems activated across the country. Sirens wailed. The Home Front Command, Israel's civilian protection authority, sent emergency alerts directly to mobile phones in affected areas, instructing residents to move immediately into protected spaces and remain there until further notice.
By Friday evening, the conflict had entered its fourth week. What had begun as a discrete escalation had become a grinding exchange, with no visible off-ramp. The United States and Israel were coordinating closely with regional partners. On the same day as the Iranian strikes, the President of the United Arab Emirates, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, spoke by phone with US President Donald Trump. According to the state-run WAM news agency, the two leaders discussed what they characterized as "blatant and continuous Iranian aggressions" targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure across the region. Trump condemned the attacks and pledged American solidarity with the UAE and other regional allies, reaffirming full support for their defense and security.
For ordinary Israelis, the reality was immediate and visceral. The alerts came without warning. Families had minutes to reach shelters. The IDF's public messaging was stark: enter protected spaces when the alert sounds. Do not leave until an explicit all-clear is given. Follow the Home Front Command's directives. They save lives. The language was calm, but the implication was clear—this was not a drill, and it was not over.
In Tehran, the release of that undated video of the new Supreme Leader teaching students seemed to serve a dual purpose: to project continuity and authority at a moment of profound transition, and to remind Iranians and the world that the Islamic Republic's leadership remained intact, even as the conflict with the US and Israel deepened. Whether the video was recent or decades old remained unknown. What mattered was the message it conveyed: the system endured. The teaching continued. And as missiles flew, the machinery of state media worked to frame the moment in terms of religious learning and institutional permanence rather than the chaos of war.
Citas Notables
The defense systems are operating to intercept the threat. One must enter protected spaces upon receiving the alert and remain in them until a new announcement.— Israeli Defense Forces
The United States reaffirmed its solidarity with the UAE and regional allies, pledging full support for their defense and security.— US President Donald Trump, via UAE state media
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