By Jack Phillips

Iran’s top leader released a new statement on April 1 saying the Iranian regime will continue to support anti-Israel forces in the Middle East, as the Trump administration signaled that the war could end within weeks.

The message from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, like others since he was named Iran’s leader, came in a statement read on air by a state television anchor. Paraphrased versions of the statement were also released by Iranian state-run news outlets Tasnim News and IRNA.

“I firmly declare that the consistent policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in continuing the path of the late Imam and martyred leader, is based on continuing to support the resistance” against Israel and the United States, state television quoted Khamenei as saying.

According to Tasnim News, Khamenei sent the letter to Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem and “expressed hope” that he “would be able to thwart Israeli plans and restore stability and pride to the Lebanese people.”

Khamenei’s father, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in U.S.–Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28. But since being named as Iran’s top leader in mid-March, the younger Khamenei has not made any public appearances. All statements he’s made have been read aloud or submitted in a written format.

When asked about this last month, President Donald Trump said that the U.S. government had not been in communication with Mojtaba Khamenei and that he hasn’t attempted to contact his administration. On Monday, Trump told the New York Post that U.S. officials are speaking with Iran’s parliament speaker about the possibility of ending the conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

This past week, the president told reporters that the United States has “not heard from the son,” referring to Khamenei.

“Every once in a while you’ll see a statement made [by Mojtaba Khamenei], but we don’t know if he’s living,” Trump said.

Trump then stated that no one in Iran “wants that job right now,” referring to the country’s top leadership position.

On Wednesday, Trump wrote in a Truth Social post that Iran’s president wanted a cease-fire. However, he said that a cease-fire could occur only if the strait is opened. The waterway has remained effectively shut down for most commercial traffic, causing oil and gas prices to surge worldwide.

“Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!” Trump wrote.

Iran had no immediate response to Trump’s post.

Hours before, the president said at the White House on Tuesday that the U.S. military would conclude the Iran combat operation within two to three weeks. Earlier that day, Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters that Iran had fired the fewest number of projectiles, such as missiles or drones, in the past 24 hours.

A cruise missile slammed into an oil tanker off Qatar’s coast on Wednesday, the country’s Defense Ministry said. The 21-member crew of the tanker, contracted by state-owned QatarEnergy, was evacuated, and no casualties were reported.

A day earlier, a fully loaded Kuwaiti oil tanker came under attack off Dubai, one of more than 20 ships attacked by Iran during the war, officials said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.