TEHRAN – Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei delivered a defiant message saying Iran becomes world’s fourth superpower.
According to Iranian news agency Tasnim, Khamenei said forces that once sought to dominate Iran are now being forced to confront the country’s growing military capabilities.
He argued that Iran’s defense capabilities have transformed the balance of power compared with previous decades, portraying the country as having moved beyond an era of dependence and weakness toward self-reliance, strength and a prominent position in the Islamic world. “The past that our enemy wants to return to is gone, and it will never come back,” Khamenei said, according to the reported message.
Khamenei claims that Iran reached a point where the very powers that sought aggression and domination are now “seeking refuge and pleading for an end to the war.”
The statement presents Iran’s recent military performance as evidence of a dramatic shift in the regional balance of power and reflects Tehran’s increasingly assertive portrayal of its strategic position.
The description of Iran as world’s fourth superpower has also appeared in Iranian media commentary. A separate analysis published by Tasnim has portrayed Iran as a fourth global power center alongside the United States, Russia and China, citing Iran’s military capabilities, strategic geography, control of or influence over key regional waterways, regional influence and what it describes as intellectual and cultural power.
However, the “fourth superpower” designation is an Iranian media and political characterization, not an internationally established ranking or consensus among independent global power assessments.
The latest message also draws attention to one of the most unusual aspects of Iran’s new leadership. Khamenei has remained largely out of public view since succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. He has not appeared publicly in a direct address, and no direct audio or video speech from him has been released.
Instead, his messages have been issued in written form through Iranian state media and outlets affiliated with the leadership. Reports highlighted his absence from public view, even as messages carrying his name continue to outline Iran’s political, military and ideological positions.
The latest statement fits into broader narrative being promoted by Iran’s leadership: that the country is no longer merely a regional power but has become a force capable of challenging the existing global balance.
Iranian officials and state-linked media have repeatedly emphasized the country’s military self-reliance, missile and defense capabilities, strategic geography and resistance to foreign pressure.
Trump rubbishes Iran’s Hormuz Plan as Reports warn of Fresh Bombing after Midterms
