Though never seen publicly since his appointment in March 2026, Iran’s Supreme Leader has appealed for internal unity and warned against internal division. His reported remarks, conveyed by the country’s president Masoud Pezeshkian, contrasted to the usual proclamations attributed to him, in which he trumpets the power of the armed forces against American aggression.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had held a seven-hour meeting with Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. He described the Supreme Leader’s most important advice as the need to preserve internal unity and cohesion while avoiding discord amid confrontation with the enemy.
According to the official Fars News Agency, President Pezeshkian said the recent meeting with the Supreme Leader had covered a range of national issues. These, he said, included “the people’s livelihood, market conditions, employment, housing, the difficulties caused by sanctions, and the country’s resilience against the enemy.”
The official news agency said the Supreme Leader had called for “unity and cohesion”.
He is quoted as having said: “Nothing is more important than unity under the present circumstances, because one of the enemy’s primary objectives is to sow division inside the country.”
President Pezeshkian added, according to Fars News, that the discussions “addressed the country’s various challenges in detail, with the main concerns centering on the people’s living conditions, the market, employment, housing, and the problems created by sanctions.”
It added: “Talks also covered how the country should stand firm, the role of public support, and the necessity of maintaining unity and cohesion. The Iranian president stressed the need to refrain from creating division.”
He is quoted as concluding: “We may have differences of opinion and express different views inside the country, but abroad a single voice and a single message must be heard from Iran, so that the world knows the Iranian people stand together in defence of their independence, dignity, honor, and beliefs.”