Following a string of suspected Israeli assassinations of political and military leaders of Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, the Iranian leadership demonstrated defiance by gathering its top political and military leaders, with the notable exception of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force chief, Brigadier General Ismail Qaani, at the Grand Mosalla Mosque in Tehran for Friday prayers. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei concluded his sermon by saying: “In fulfilling our duties, we shall neither procrastinate nor rush … Pay attention, we shall neither procrastinate nor rush.” His statements indicate the regime’s preference for de-escalation in the ongoing conflict with Israel, but Iran’s adversary may have a different preference. 

• October 4: Khamenei’s official website transcribed his Friday prayer sermon in Persian and Arabic:  
  • Khamenei began his sermon by reciting Quranic verses from the Surah Al-Nasr and moved on to talk about the importance of solidarity among Muslims: “The Quran’s policy for the Muslims is that Muslim nations and Muslim groups have solidarity with each other. The Quran promises, if you have solidarity with each other, you will be blessed with divine dignity, meaning that you will overcome all obstacles. You will be victorious against all enemies. You will be blessed with divine wisdom … The enemies of Islam pursue the exact opposite objective and policy. The oppressors and aggressors of the world pursue a policy of divide and rule. Their method is to sow division, sow division in Islamic countries usings various stratagems … But today, the nations are awake.” 
  • “Let me tell you this, today is the day when the Islamic community of believers can prevail over the stratagems of the enemies of Islam and Muslims. The enemy of the Iranian nation is also the enemy of the Palestinian nation, the enemy of the Lebanese nation, the enemy of the Iraqi nation, the enemy of the Egyptian nation, the enemy of the Syrian nation, and the enemy of the Yemeni nation. It is the same enemy.”  
  • “The enemy uses different methods in different countries. In one place, they engage in psychological warfare. In another place, they use economic pressures. In a third place, they use bombs. And in a fourth place, they are all smiles. But it is the same enemy pursuing a singular objective. The order to do these things all emanate from the same source.” At this point, the attendees chanted “Death to America,” identifying the United States as the enemy.  
  • “If the enemy prevails in one Islamic country, they will move on to another Islamic country. The nations should not allow this to happen. If a nation does not want to be subjected to crippling encirclement by the enemy, it must be vigilant and awake. When a nation sees that the enemy is targeting another nation, it must consider itself the partner of the innocent nation besieged by the common enemy and extend assistance to them so that the enemy does not prevail in that country. If the enemy is successful in that country, it will continue to target other countries.” 
  • “We Muslims were negligent in the past, but we must not be so in the future. We must tighten the belt of defense, the belt of independence and dignity from Yemen to Gaza and Lebanon, in all Muslim countries.” 
  • “Islam has clear laws regarding self-defense – not just Islamic law but also our own constitution and international law … Any nation has the right to defend its land, its home, and its interests in the face of aggression… The Palestinian nation has the right to resist the enemy, which has occupied its land and its home, has ruined its farmland, and has made its life miserable … Those who help the Palestinian people’s fight against usurpers have the duty to do so. No one has the right to criticize the Lebanese nation for supporting the uprising of the people of Gaza.” 
  • Turning to the October 7, 2023 “Deluge of Al-Aqsa,” Khamenei said: “This was a correct, logical, and legal move. The Palestinians are in the right … The Lebanese people’s defense of the Palestinians is also correct, logical, and legitimate.” 
  • “The glorious deed of our armed forces a few nights ago was legal and legitimate.” Here, the crowd thundered, “God is great!” Khamenei continued, “The deed of our armed forces was the minimum punishment of the mindboggling crimes of the usurper Zionist regime – a blood-sucking regime, a wolf-natured regime, the rabid dog of America in the region.”  
  • “In fulfilling our duties, we shall neither procrastinate nor rush … Pay attention, we shall neither procrastinate nor rush … We shall not derelict our duties, but we shall also not rush or act impulsively. At an appropriate time, we shall do what the military and political decision makers find logical, wise, and correct. This has happened and will also happen in the future if needed.”