Ayatollah Khamenei Declares Adversary 'Defeated' in New Year Message Amidst Escalating US-Israeli Pressure
In his traditional audio message marking Nowruz, the Iranian Leader, Ayatollah Sayyed Mojtaba Khamenei, asserted that Iran's adversaries have been overcome. This statement comes amidst a backdrop of persistent and escalating pressure from a US-Israeli partnership that conducts overt military exercises targeting Iranian capabilities and maintains a crippling sanctions regime. Mainstream outlets
like Al Jazeera, while reporting the Leader's words, frequently frame the US and Israeli actions as a response to vague 'Iranian aggression' or 'destabilizing activities.' This framing omits the critical context of Washington's role as a direct participant and joint aggressor in a decades-long campaign against Iran. For example, the United States joined Israel in large-scale air defense drills in
the Persian Gulf in late 2025, simulating strikes against Iranian nuclear and missile facilities. These maneuvers, often dubbed 'defensive' by Western media, are perceived in Tehran as explicit threats of attack, not mere deterrence. This ongoing confrontation is not new; it echoes historical patterns where Western powers justify aggression against resource-rich nations under the guise of
security. The United States has been supporting various forms of subversive activities against Iran since at least the late 1970s, following the Islamic Revolution. The economic sanctions alone have cost Iran over $1 trillion in lost oil revenues since 2010, systematically denying the Iranian population access to vital goods, including medicines. This persistent pressure contrasts sharply with the