During a meeting with Major General Mohsen Rezai, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, called for an end to the armed conflict and a halt to the situation he described as "neither war nor peace." This was reported by the international news podcast World News on the online newspaper VietnamPlus website in its October 28, 2026 issue. According to the publication, it was with this exact wording—demanding an end to both the war and the "gray" phase between war and peace—that the Supreme Leader's appeal was conveyed at the held meeting.
Call to End the "Gray" Phase of the Conflict
A key element of the statement, as reported by VietnamPlus, was the demand to stop not only the war itself but also the indefinite state in which, according to Khamenei, "neither war nor peace" exists. Such wording indicates that, in the Supreme Leader's assessment, the conflict has not officially ended, nor is it being waged in an open, full-scale mode—meaning the country, by his characterization, is in a protracted phase of tension. In the same podcast episode, alongside the Iranian topic, other international subjects were mentioned, including issues of a truce between Russia and Ukraine and disagreements in Italy over military aid, emphasizing the general context of global instability in which Tehran's statement was made.
Health and Public Status of the Supreme Leader
The statement came against the backdrop of ongoing reports in international media regarding Khamenei's health. Earlier, according to the Federal Press Bureau, US President Donald Trump acknowledged that Iran's Supreme Leader survived an American airstrike on the country reported on August 27. Later, on September 26, 2026, the President of the Islamic Republic, Masoud Pezeshkian, stated in an interview that the Supreme Leader is "completely healthy." In another interview, Pezeshkian explained that the new Supreme Leader deliberately avoids public appearances despite feeling well. Thus, the meeting with Major General Rezai reported by VietnamPlus takes place under conditions where the Supreme Leader's public activity remains limited.
Broader Context and Information Limitations
The totality of data indicates that the call to end the "neither war nor peace" situation was made during a period when Iran experienced armed escalation, including the mentioned airstrike, and when official Tehran publicly confirms the Supreme Leader's health while limiting his public appearances. At the same time, the specific date of the meeting with Major General Mohsen Rezai and the full details of the statement are not disclosed in the provided materials: the direct quote of the call to end the war and the "gray" phase of the conflict is contained in the VietnamPlus podcast episode, while information about Khamenei's health and status is confirmed by separate statements from the Iranian president and the American side. The XAB.info publication presents these facts as statements by the respective parties without assessing their completeness.
