WANA (Jul 17) – Tehran’s temporary Friday prayer leader, Hojjat-ol-Islam Mohammad-Javad Haj-Ali-Akbari, has outlined a comprehensive four-stage roadmap to avenge the assassination of Iran’s late Supreme Leader.

 

During his sermon, he declared that the era of negotiations with Washington has permanently ended, and the strategic Strait of Hormuz will henceforth be managed strictly under Iranian authority.

 

Addressing worshippers in the capital, the senior cleric stated that the retaliatory campaign begins with the direct prosecution and punishment of all planners, perpetrators, and facilitators of the assassination.

 

The subsequent phases of this strategy entail targeting U.S. regional military installations to force a total American withdrawal, dismantling the Israeli regime from West Asia, and ultimately ending the global superpower status of the United States.

 

Retaliation Roadmap and Strategic Target Shifts

Haj-Ali-Akbari explained that Iran’s defense and intelligence apparatuses, alongside diplomatic and judicial channels, are actively coordinating to execute the first phase of the prosecution.

 

The second phase, targeting U.S. military assets, has already commenced. He noted that recent strikes on American bases are part of a systematic campaign to push U.S. forces entirely out of the Middle East.

 

According to the cleric, the third and fourth phases of the revenge plan focus on structural changes to regional and global security. He asserted that complete vengeance would only be realized with the liberation of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the removal of the Israeli state from the regional map, and the total decline of American global hegemony.

 

Termination of Maritime Talks and Hormuz Control

Turning to maritime security and recent military escalations, Haj-Ali-Akbari announced that recent U.S. strikes on southern Iranian provinces—which targeted military camps, infrastructure, environmental facilities, and the Shahid Baghaei Hospital—have nullified all existing diplomatic understandings.

 

He declared that the negotiation process with Washington has officially collapsed. Future relations in the strategic waterway will be defined solely by the hard power of the Islamic Republic’s armed forces.

 

The Tehran preacher described the Strait of Hormuz as a sovereign divine blessing and a vital national security asset. He emphasized that the strategic waterway will be protected and managed unilaterally by Iran, stating that security arrangements will under no circumstances return to the status quo ante.

 

High-Volume Military Counterstrikes and Regional Autonomy

In response to recent American aggression, Haj-Ali-Akbari confirmed that Iranian forces have launched rapid, high-volume retaliatory fire against U.S. installations. He added that the military has successfully expanded its operational target list to include new facilities across the region.

 

The Friday envoy urged neighboring Gulf countries to view the current geopolitical shift as an opportune moment to sever their security dependence on Washington. He called on regional governments to claim their independence and align themselves with the Axis of Resistance.

 

He also expressed profound gratitude to the residents of Iran’s southern coastal provinces, including Khuzestan, Bushehr, and Hormozgan, praising their resilience and assuring them of the nation’s unwavering defense support.

 

Historic Funerals as a Referendum on the Revolution

The cleric devoted a significant portion of his sermon to the massive public funeral processions held for the late leader, describing the events as an epochal, civilizational milestone that disrupted Western psychological warfare and intelligence assessments.

 

He argued that the historic turnout served as a public referendum, demonstrating the deep-rooted alignment of the Iranian public with Islamic values and the leadership of the Supreme Leader.

 

The widespread display of “Ya Latharat” (O Avengers) flags, he noted, reflected a rational, Quranic, and legally justified public demand for decisive retaliation.

 

Commending Iraqi Solidarity

Concluding his address, Haj-Ali-Akbari lauded the extensive cooperation of neighboring Iraq, where an estimated 10 million people participated in mourning processions.

 

He compared the scale of the Iraqi gatherings to the historic farewell of Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Islamic Republic Founder.

 

Delivering a portion of his speech in Arabic, the cleric extended formal thanks to the Iraqi public, the religious authority in Najaf, the federal government, local security forces, and the country’s tribes for ensuring security and demonstrating cross-border Islamic unity.