Sayyed Khamenei's top aide, Ali Shamkhani, declares: 'I am alive'

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen English
20 Jun 2025 12:47
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Sayyed Ali Khamenei's senior aide Ali Shamkhani revealed the failure of an Israeli assassination attempt against him in a recent address to the leader and the people of Iran.

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Ali Shamkhani sits in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, on June 12, 2021. (AP)

Ali Shamkhani, senior advisor to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Sayyed Ali Khamenei, declared in a public statement on Thursday that he is alive, recovering, and continuing his duties following an Israeli airstrike that reportedly targeted him in a failed assassination attempt. “I am alive,” Shamkhani stated, addressing the people of Iran and Sayyed Khamenei, reaffirming his ongoing role in national defense efforts.

Israeli media had claimed Shamkhani was targeted and killed in an Israeli attack. However, Shamkhani's letter not only affirms the failure of the occupation but also reinforces his continued loyalty and readiness to fight, emphasizing his commitment to remain active in defense of the country and to oppose the Israeli occupation's threats.

"I will remain, and I will continue to shout the story of our epic. I am alive! And this wounded body of mine, by God’s grace, will remain a shield for this nation," the letter read.

Shamkhani also highlighted his personal history of military and public service and referenced the loss of family members in previous confrontations. "And once again, my two martyred brothers look down from the heavens, shedding tears over my longing," he said, expressing sorrow for the continued separation from his martyred brothers, but grateful for his role in Iran's current defense against "Israel".

Addressing the Iranian public, Shamkhani assured citizens that the leadership and state institutions remain resilient and that recent developments would not alter Iran's strategic posture. He emphasized the unity and continuity of the country's defense and political framework in the face of foreign aggression.

Shamkhani's emotional letter reads below:

In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful O ‘Ali, our master; O Hussain, our martyr; O Fatima al-Zahra, our intercessor

To the dear, powerful, and courageous Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Khamenei (may his dignity endure), and to the great, noble, and everlasting nation of Iran: May God's peace be upon you—you who are the pillars of this land's dignity.

Peace be upon proud and heroic Iran, which generation after generation has sent forth its brave sons and daughters into the field, engraving its name into history with courage and resilience.

Today, as my breath still bears the wounds of my body and my hand trembles from weakness as I hold this pen, I swear by the blood of the martyrs of this sacred land: So much determination and honor still flow through my veins that silence would be a betrayal to them.

So, with God's help, let my first words be a cry: "Indeed, we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we shall return." (Quran 2:156)

With a heart full of grief, I remember those noble and patient ones—those proud figures— the same ones with whom we used to whisper in the darkness of the trenches during the Sacred Defense: “Victory or martyrdom.”

Today, they have donned the red robe of martyrdom; And I, once again, have been left behind by the caravan.

Once again, the third badge of honor has not been awarded to our family. And once again, my two martyred brothers look down from the heavens, shedding tears over my longing.

Now I remain, wounded in body, and with a heart overflowing with pain and yearning. But if it is my destiny to stay behind, then so be it, I will remain, So that I may continue to be a cause for the enemy’s hatred. He knows well why, and so do I.

I will remain, and I will continue to shout the story of our epic. I am alive! And this wounded body of mine, by God’s grace, will remain a shield for this nation.

My heart is still the same heart that once cried out “Labbayk” (I am at your service). And today, it still beats—for faith, for country, and for the people.

I am ready! Not once, but a hundred times over, to sacrifice myself for this land and its unmatched people.

I am ready to fill the front lines of defense for this homeland and its honor, with the pride and resolve of an Arab from the land of Khuzestan, even with this wounded body.

I am prepared to cry out “Ya Zahra (S)” in the storm of Zionist missiles and to keep the name of Iran flying high in the pages of history like a proud flag.

To the noble and dear people of Iran: I wrote these few lines to tell you, you are not alone. In every home where the light of honor still burns, In the heart of every mother who mourns, And in the eyes of every youth who looks to the future, Iran stands, illuminated by divine light.

We are a nation of hope and dignity. We suffer loss, but we do not bow. We bleed, but we do not surrender our identity.

Our martyred commanders, our proud scientists, our men of the battlefield and the pulpit, they are never absent. They flow like blood in the veins of this nation. And now, their sacred flag has fallen into our hands, so it will not touch the ground.

Our brave and dear Leader can rest assured: Your sons are still in the field. Not just with weapons, but with faith and hope.

And let the enemy know: To fight Iran is to play with fire, a fire that will leave him with nothing but ashes.

The promise of God is true: "So when the second promise came to pass... they entered the mosque..." (Qur’an 17:7)

And that day is near… The bright day of victory, when the name of Iran will shine once more at the peak of history; And the smiles of the martyrs will reflect the promise of our tomorrow.

A humble soldier of the great nation of Iran, Ali Shamkhani