Tehran, 29 October (H.S.): Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei has called for an end to the country’s prolonged state of “neither war nor peace”, urging officials to fulfil the conditions laid down by Tehran to bring the situation to a close. President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that the Supreme Leader’s directive has been conveyed to the Cabinet, with the government instructed to implement it with utmost seriousness and make full use of its capabilities.

According to Iran’s official IRNA news agency, Khamenei issued the directive on Wednesday. The President described the instruction, addressed to Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as an important indication of the country’s future direction.

Addressing a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Pezeshkian discussed domestic developments and the evolving international situation, welcoming the Supreme Leader’s directive. He stressed the need for the government to remain prepared to respond to changing circumstances.

The President called on all ministers, heads of executive bodies and their deputies to maintain full operational readiness according to the country’s requirements. He said Iran’s adversaries should not assume that external pressure could weaken the nation’s resolve or compel it to surrender.

Pezeshkian also paid tribute to those killed in the recent war involving the United States and Israel. He said the deaths of Iranian civilians, including children, were being raised at international forums. According to the President, those killed in the conflict had been honoured at the United Nations, international conferences, BRICS and Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summits, environmental conferences and various diplomatic meetings.

The President condemned attacks on civilians, particularly children and students, in Minab and Lamerd, describing them as violations of humanitarian principles and international humanitarian law. These allegations were presented by the Iranian leadership.

Referring to the United States and its Western and regional allies, Pezeshkian questioned what he described as a contradiction between their stated commitment to combating terrorism and attacks on civilian infrastructure.

“On the one hand, there is talk of fighting terrorism, while on the other, schools, hospitals, sports facilities and residential homes are being targeted. This raises serious questions about the contradiction between their claims and their actual conduct,” he said.

During the Cabinet meeting, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and several other ministers presented reports on diplomatic developments and regional consultations. The briefings covered contacts with a Qatari delegation, visits by Pakistan’s army chief and discussions involving senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Türkiye. A report was also presented on the President’s visit to Moscow.

In a separate development, IRNA reported that Khamenei responded on Wednesday to letters from university students across the country. In his replies, he urged young people to equip themselves with knowledge and faith to help advance the Islamic Republic towards what he described as the “pinnacle of progress”.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf had earlier told lawmakers on October 27 that Mojtaba Khamenei was “in complete health” and in high spirits.

Iranian officials have also said that the Supreme Leader has held meetings with the President and other senior figures. Iranian diplomat Abdolmajid Hakim Elahi said that he had attended a meeting with Pezeshkian that lasted approximately seven hours.

However, Khamenei has not appeared publicly in a live video or audio address since succeeding his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes in February 2026. Iranian officials maintain that security considerations have kept the Supreme Leader away from public appearances and that he continues to oversee the country’s affairs behind the scenes.

The prolonged absence has drawn international attention, although Iranian authorities have continued to issue statements about his meetings and directives. Reuters reported in August that no photograph, video or audio message featuring Mojtaba Khamenei had been released since he assumed the leadership in March.

His latest directive comes amid diplomatic efforts involving regional powers and continuing tensions over the conditions required to end the conflict. Tehran has maintained that those conditions must be addressed before the country can move beyond the current state of “neither war nor peace”.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar