July 11 (Reuters) – Iran’s ⁠Supreme ⁠Leader Ayatollah ⁠Mojtaba Khamenei said ​on Saturday that avenging ‌his slain predecessor ‌and father ⁠was “the ⁠demand of the nation” and “must certainly” take ​place, according to a written message released ​on his Telegram account.

Khamenei ⁠issued the ⁠message on ⁠the occasion ​of funeral ceremonies for his ​father, ⁠Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, held months after he was killed ⁠in the U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on February 28.

“We ⁠pledge to avenge the blood of the martyred leader and all the martyrs of these two wars from the criminal ⁠and disgraced killers,” Khamenei said in the message.

(Reporting by Enas Alashray ​and Ahmed Elimam;Editing by ​Tomasz Janowski)

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