Mojtaba Khamenei Urges Gulf Rulers to Confront ‘Real Enemy’ | Iran-Gulf Relations

Mojtaba Khamenei’s Call for Gulf Unity During Islamic Unity Week

The message from Tehran emerged on Mojtaba Khamenei’s Telegram account to mark Islamic Unity Week, a period coinciding with the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. According to reporting by Reuters, the Supreme Leader pressed for cross-border cooperation, mutual defense pacts, and deeper solidarity among Islamic states. He argued that internal fractures only empower outside foes.

To underscore the cost of regional division, the statement posed a direct question regarding the plight of Palestinians. As reported by Reuters, Khamenei asked whether Palestinians would have been left so helpless if Muslims had been united.

This regional appeal mirrors domestic messaging delivered by the Iranian leadership. On the preceding Friday, Khamenei addressed domestic audiences in Iran, announcing a strict ban on actions that disrupt social cohesion while urging officials to steer clear of discouraging statements that erode public morale.

Tensions and Historical Hostility Between Tehran and Gulf Monarchies

Directing his remarks toward regional governments, Khamenei questioned the security of neighboring monarchies. According to Reuters, he asked Gulf Arab rulers whether rogues without identity would have dared to covet their lands and possessions if the peoples and governments of the region had been united under the flag of Islam.

Such appeals face deep historical headwinds. Ever since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Gulf Arab monarchies have regarded Iran’s revolutionary ideology, anti-monarchic rhetoric, and expansive regional influence as structural threats to their political systems. Those underlying tensions have flared sharply during the current conflict, during which Tehran has targeted U.S. military installations and other critical infrastructure located inside Gulf states.

Emphasizing this hardline stance, My emphatic and repeated recommendation to the rulers of Islamic countries, especially the countries of West Asia and the Gulf, is to identify your real enemy, understand his plan and confront it, Khamenei stated, as documented by Reuters.

Economic Toll of War and the Impasse Over U.S. Sanctions

While Tehran projects diplomatic and military resilience—vowing to maintain control over the vital Strait of Hormuz to pressure global energy markets—the conflict is taking a severe domestic toll. Iranian leaders readily admit that U.S. pressure has severely squeezed the nation’s finances. President Masoud Pezeshkian told state media that Iranian exports and imports have plummeted nearly 35% due to the combined impact of American sanctions and the ongoing naval blockade.

Washington has intensified its financial offensive, characterizing the current punitive measures as an economic D-Day designed to force Tehran’s hand. In response, the Iranian government outlined a domestic economic agenda via state media aimed at curbing inflation, stabilizing markets, generating employment, boosting domestic manufacturing, and systematically reducing the economy’s reliance on the U.S. dollar.

Despite the current diplomatic freeze, Tehran has signaled interest in reviving past diplomatic openings. Pezeshkian pointed to a brief window in June when Washington permitted limited Iranian oil sales under a short-lived memorandum of understanding, noting that Iran successfully sold roughly 90 million barrels during that period. Advocating for a return to diplomacy on state television, Pezeshkian urged a revival of the June 17 interim deal—which collapsed rapidly amid disputes over its implementation, particularly regarding the strategic waters of the Strait of Hormuz. We can solve our problems and gain our privileges with the memorandum of understanding, Pezeshkian said.