In a Nowruz (Persian New Year) statement published on his Telegram channel, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei denied Tehran’s involvement in recent attacks in Turkey and Oman — both countries that maintain relatively constructive relationships with Iran.
“The attacks against Turkiye and Oman… were in no way carried out by the armed forces of the Islamic Republic or the other forces of the Resistance Front,” Khamenei said. He accused Israel of employing a “false flag tactic” to drive a wedge between Iran and its neighbors, warning that similar incidents “may also occur in some other countries.”
The denial itself is significant: the fact that it needed to be made at all suggests the war’s destabilizing effects are spilling far beyond the immediate theater of conflict. If neighboring states begin to doubt Iran’s assurances, the diplomatic isolation of Tehran could deepen — precisely the outcome Khamenei is trying to prevent.