Iran’s New Supreme Leader Brands US and Israel as ‘Zahhak’ — History’s Most Tyrannical Ruler

Tehran, May 16, 2026
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has declared that the Iranian nation’s courageous resistance in the recent war has proven the country is stronger and more united than ever against the United States and Israel.
The statement was issued on the occasion of Persian Language Protection Day and the celebration of legendary Persian poet Abolqasem Ferdowsi. In it, Khamenei drew a striking parallel between Iran’s enemies and Zahhak — the most tyrannical king in Iranian mythology, described in Ferdowsi’s epic masterpiece Shahnameh as a ruler from whose shoulders grew two serpents that fed on the flesh of young humans each day. Zahhak was ultimately slain by the hero Fereydun, who became a symbol of courage and liberation.
Khamenei declared that the Quranic and heroic themes within the Shahnameh unite all ethnic and social strata of Iranian society under banners of freedom, unity, and national identity — and that the recent war had only strengthened that unity.
Khamenei himself has not appeared publicly since his appointment in mid-March, following the death of his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli-American strike in late February. His statements have been read aloud on state television, fuelling widespread speculation about his condition.
The United States has repeatedly claimed that Mojtaba Khamenei was wounded in the same strike that killed his father, suffering a serious leg injury, and has since been receiving treatment at an undisclosed location. Iranian officials, however, insist he is fully conscious, recovering rapidly, and continues to issue directives through select commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.