Iran’s Mojtaba Khamenei frames war with US, Israel as ‘jihad,’ analyst says

Iran Israel war: Mojtaba Khamenei calls conflict ‘jihad’ against US and Israel

By Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Mojtaba Khamenei declared the regional confrontation with the United States and Israel a “jihad” during a closed briefing with Revolutionary Guard commanders last week.

The supreme leader’s son cast the conflict in religious terms that analysts say could deepen Iran’s military involvement beyond its current proxy operations across the Middle East.

The formulation marks a shift from Tehran’s public posture of supporting allied militias while avoiding direct confrontation. Iranian officials have previously characterized their support for Hamas and Hezbollah as defensive assistance to oppressed Muslims rather than holy war.

“Mojtaba told senior IRGC officers that fighting Israel and America constitutes jihad fi sabilillah,” said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group, quoting two attendees of the March 12 meeting who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Arabic phrase translates as “struggle in the path of God.”

The younger Khamenei, 54, holds no official position but wields growing influence over security policy as his father, 86-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has reduced public appearances. He has increasingly taken control of the supreme leader’s military affairs office, which coordinates between the regular army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The religious framing emerged as Israel expanded strikes against Iranian targets beyond Syria into Lebanon and Iraq. Israeli jets hit an Iranian weapons depot near Damascus on March 15, killing 7 IRGC officers, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attack followed Israel’s assassination of a senior IRGC intelligence officer in Tehran last month.

The rhetoric also coincides with stalled nuclear negotiations. Iranian negotiators left Vienna last week after European powers demanded expanded monitoring of uranium enrichment sites. Tehran has enriched uranium to 83.7 percent purity, just below weapons grade, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s latest quarterly report.

A former IRGC commander who maintains contacts within the force said Mojtaba Khamenei’s language signals preparation for expanded conflict. “When you frame something as jihad, you’re telling troops that death brings martyrdom and paradise,” said Hossein Alaei, who commanded the Revolutionary Guard navy until 1990. “This isn’t the language of limited retaliation.”

The characterization drew immediate criticism from Iranian reformists who fear deeper isolation. “Calling this jihad means we can never negotiate peace,” said former president Mohammad Khatami in a statement carried by the semi-official ILNA news agency. “It paints us into an ideological corner.”

Regional governments responded cautiously to the reported comments. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called his Qatari and Kuwaiti counterparts within hours of the briefing becoming public, according to diplomats in Riyadh. The three Sunni monarchies have maintained back-channel contacts with Tehran despite ongoing rivalry.

Israeli officials dismissed the religious justification while warning of consequences. “Whether they call it jihad or foreign policy, Iran’s aggression will meet the same response,” Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told Army Radio on Wednesday. He declined to comment on specific Israeli operations but said “the rules have changed” regarding Iranian targets.

US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel called the reported comments “deeply concerning” during a briefing Thursday. “This kind of religiously-charged rhetoric only increases the risk of miscalculation and escalation,” Patel said. The Pentagon announced it would deploy the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group to the Gulf two weeks ahead of schedule.

The timing appears linked to Iran’s internal succession dynamics as much as external developments. Ayatollah Khamenei underwent prostate surgery in January, according to people close to the family’s medical team. State television showed him meeting with officials but edited out portions where he appeared to struggle with names, one staff member said.

Mojtaba Khamenei competes with other power centers including parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei. The Revolutionary Guard represents another power bloc that could challenge succession plans. Framing regional conflicts in religious terms burnishes the younger Khamenei’s credentials with the clerical establishment.

The supreme leader’s office has not confirmed or denied the reported comments. Government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi deflected questions Monday, saying “all officials follow the supreme leader’s guidance on defending Islamic values.” The vagueness itself signals internal debate over how aggressively to embrace the jihad characterization.

Background

Religious framing has historically served as political cover for Iranian military expansion. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini described the Iran-Iraq War from 1980-88 as a sacred defense, preventing domestic criticism of enormous casualties. More recently, Tehran deployed military advisors to Syria under the banner of protecting Shiite shrines rather than propping up President Bashar al-Assad.

The younger Khamenei’s apparent embrace of jihad rhetoric echoes his father’s early revolutionary rhetoric that has moderated in public over the past decade. The shift back toward religious justification reflects both succession politics and frustration with Western sanctions that have shrunk Iran’s economy by 20 percent since 2018, according to World Bank figures.

What’s Next

The IRGC’s Quds Force plans expanded operations against Israeli and American targets across the region, according to a commander briefed on March planning. Expect increased attacks on US bases in Syria and Iraq, plus renewed rocket fire from Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Israeli intelligence expects Iranian retaliation for recent assassinations within 60 days, likely targeting Israeli diplomats or Jewish sites in Asia or Latin America.

The religious framing strips away diplomatic ambiguity that allowed limited back-channel contacts between Tehran and Washington. Expect European powers to join US sanctions when talks resume in April, while Russia and China maintain economic ties despite discomfort with jihad rhetoric that complicates their own Muslim populations. Israel will likely accelerate its campaign of targeted killings inside Iran, betting that internal chaos limits Tehran’s response capabilities.