Although we have not seen him for over a year, announcements are starting to come out in Iran that are being attributed to Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, as well as a video this past weekend showing only the left side of his face and body.
Sunday had multiple statements attributed to the Iranian leader. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian he said that the Ayatollah is in control of the nation and all decisions, and that the government is merely to act out the political and military directions that the ayatollah gives. Presidential Office Deputy Head of Communications Mehdi Tabatabaei also announced in the ayatollah's name that Mohsen Rezaei, former media adviser to Pezeshkian, is now to be the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (something that the Iranian news service denied a few hours later).
The significance of more statements coming from the ayatollah is that whether he actually is alive or dead, political and military actions will continue to be clearly based upon Islamic theology. We should remember that this theology demands the destruction of not only Israel, but the United States and all of Western culture; as well as is committed creation of a worldwide caliphate of Sharia law at any cost. For a year, the ayatollah has been silent, and these new actions in his name point to a more aggressive Iran in relationship to the rest of the world, including the Sunni Muslims in Turkey, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia (hence the creation of the "Islamic NATO" over the weekend).
We can also see the recognition of this new Iranian reality in the words of President Donald Trump on Sunday. "We are lowering our profile with Iran...We are only conducting half a negotiation with them. We are simply watching from the sidelines the massive inflation in Iran. It will work out, everything works out in the end. It's like a game of chess." It might be a good time to point out that modern chess was invented in Persia in the seventh century (the foundations of the game were created in India a century earlier), and that the game itself was popularized through the expansion of the Islamic world in the eighth and ninth centuries... so maybe we should be careful about entering chess games with the Iranian culture.
The Wall Street Journal published on Sunday a report that said that President Trump is now willing to accept an opening of the Strait of Hormuz as a "victory," even without Iran's full nuclear disarmament. Citing "official American sources," the Journal claimed that Trump recently said in closed-door discussions that Tehran is likely "unable to resume its nuclear activity during his presidency." The obvious question is where does that leave Israel, America, and the West after 2028?
Israel Channel 7 reported that "officials in one of the countries in the region advised officials in another country to adopt a policy of tactical flexibility and reach an agreement with Israel, with the aim of “lulling" Israel into a false sense of security while preparations were underway for a large-scale military campaign." The specific countries were not named in the article, which was based on a report from Kan Reshet Bet, and pointed out that this is a direct emulation of the strategy of Hamas' Yahya Sinwar, may his memory be blotted out, that led to October 7.
But as usual, Israel is always prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect its nation in every way. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the opening of Sunday's cabinet meeting that "Israel rejects the 15-point document" that the Gaza "Peace Council" published. "The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say disarmed, that means heavy weapons, less heavy weapons, all weapons. And we are talking about real disarmament, not fictitious disarmament."
While these "talks" continue, there has been a serious uptick in settler attacks in Judea-Samaria on the "Palestinian" communities there, including setting fire to buildings that these "Palestinians" occupied on Sunday. The Jewish settlers have started taking matters into their own hands in their belief that Judea-Samaria must be purged of non-Jews, and the Biblical borders of Israel must be created and enforced. Those of us who went to Israel this past month heard a "guide" at the Mount of Olives Cemetery point to the hills of Jordan while saying, "That's Jordan now, until we eliminate the Arabs and take back our land."
While it may be understandable, we cannot condone that kind of rhetoric, as it only increases dangers and challenges presented to Israel and the Israeli people at this time. We must always remember that the Torah teaches that the goal of war is not victory, but peace; incendiary rhetoric never leads to any form of peace.
And this is one of the lessons that we must always be conscious of: Israel, and the Jewish faith, are committed to a lasting peace between us, our neighbors, and the world.
May that peace, be it through war or negotiation, come speedily in our time; and may the One who ordains peace in the Universe bring peace upon us, Israel, and the world.
Chazak u'Baruch
August 10, 2026
27th of Av, 5786
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