ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Tuesday called for national unity, support for the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance and an end to the state of “no war, no peace” through the fulfilment of Tehran’s conditions.
Khamenei issued the instructions during a meeting with Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), a day after delegations from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan arrived in Tehran for talks aimed at easing regional tensions.
He urged Rezaei to “strengthen national cohesion and unity” and use constitutional mechanisms to help the president and government resolve the country’s problems, state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) reported Tuesday.
Khamenei also called for safeguarding Iran’s interests and those of the “resistance front” by securing Tehran’s conditions for ending the war and the state of “no war, no peace.”
His remarks come amid mounting economic pressure, with a senior labour official warning Tuesday that Iran could lose up to 1.4 million jobs by March 2027 if the downturn continues.
Deputy Labor Minister Malek Hosseini told the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) that 1.15 million people had left the compulsory social insurance system between March and August, with only around 300,000 subsequently receiving unemployment benefits.
Khamenei has held a series of meetings with senior officials in recent days, although he has yet to make a public appearance since succeeding his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed on February 28, the first day of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
During a meeting with parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Khamenei stressed the need to protect purchasing power and prioritize the livelihoods of military personnel.
“Without a doubt, the entire nation knows that the armed forces and fighters must be our priority,” Ghalibaf said.
Khamenei also met judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, calling for tougher action against crime and corruption, hours after Ejei urged state institutions to adopt wartime measures.
The meetings come a day after three delegations from Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia arrived in Tehran to hold a quadrilateral meeting with Iran hosted by Rezaei, as Tehran faces mounting military and economic pressure while regional powers pursue diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Iran’s Axis of Resistance includes allied armed groups in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis have recently targeted Saudi cities, airports and oil facilities.
