Khamenei’s Friday sermon reinvigorates disheartened supporters

Devotees of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei took to social media following his Friday sermon, praising his "valor" and leadership as he reaffirmed his support for Arab groups bent on eradicating Israel.

Khamenei, flanked by senior state and military officials at Tehran’s Mosalla, delivered two sermons—one in Persian and one in Arabic—before leading the Friday prayers.

The speech came amid expectations of an Israeli attack for Iran's large missile strike on Israel Tuesday.

Pro-establishment netizens many of whom used the hashtag#جمعه_نصر (Victory Friday) lauded the Leader for his ‘valor’ to appear in public amid Israeli danger to his life instead of hiding and “dignity”. The hashtag has also been used by Khamenei’s X account.

They also said that the “million-strong” congregation, which some of them claimed was the largest Shia Friday prayer congregation to date, would instill fear in Israel.

Based on its surface area, the venue is estimated to have a maximum capacity of 150,000 people.

“Our Leader humiliated Israel in every step today. He arrived half an hour before the sermons, delivered fiery sermons, gave messages to the people of Lebanon and Gaza, stood to prayer, and stayed after the prayer to do the afternoon prayer, too,” one of them tweeted.

“The biggest achievement of today’s Friday prayer was neutralization of the enemy’s extensive psychological warfare in various areas, both in Iran and outside it,” another pro-establishment netizen posted on X.

Establishment-aligned netizens, whose tweets far outnumbered those of the opposition, also referred to the large congregation’s attendance as a "bey’at" (pledge of allegiance) to the Leader.

Many opposition supporters, however, saw “extreme fear” in Khamenei’s face and described his voice as quivering in their posts. Many complained about his Arabic sermon which, they said, few among the congregation could understand and showed that the Arab people of Gaza and Lebanon were more important to him than Iranians.

This was not the first time Khamenei delivered the second sermon of his Friday prayers in Arabic but this time his Arabic sermon was markedly longer than his Persian sermon.

“Reassuring? You must tell this to families seeking justice [for loved ones killed in anti-government protests, the people on the street, the people whose backs are bent under the pressure of high costs of living, those who sell their kidneys to pay their rent …,” a resentful netizen retorted to reformist politician and former vice president Mohammad-Ali Abtahi who described Khamenei’s sermon as “reassuring” in a tweet.

Some claimed that it was a Khamenei double who delivered the sermons based on certain perceived linguistic irregularities in his speech. Others pointed out that the congregation had been mobilized from many other cities and claimed it included big numbers of Afghan immigrants.

“This Khamenei sermon was totally from a position of weakness. I am relieved that this system will be gone, sooner than you think,” a pro-monarchy dissident tweeted.

“He spoke the usual nonsense, [like] there will neither be war nor negotiation. Maybe he is saying Iran will not act hastily if Israel strikes, to lower the expectations of his mercenaries and the Shia youth,” another anti-Islamic Republic netizen contended in his tweet.

“The destructions in Lebanon shouldn’t concern Iran. Iranian people are themselves suffering from poverty, inflation, and high costs of living. Damn Gaza, Lebanon, Palestine, and others … I wish Israel had struck today and destroyed these [people] at the Friday prayers,” an anti-Islamic Republic netizen tweeted.

Another Iranian complained about Khamenei’s promise to help reconstruct Lebanon and Palestine although many in Iran's deprived areas such as Sistan -Baluchestan suffer from poverty. “This promise means taking [the food] from the mouths of the Iranian nation and putting it in the mouths of those in Gaza and Lebanon,” he posted on X.

“Khamenei, in fact, announced the end of the Axis of Resistance and told the people of the region to take care of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He has reached the end of his political era and will from now on be a leader who sits in a corner waiting for the angel of death who will make his account for his deeds,” another anti-Islamic Republic netizen posted on X.