Widespread Reactions to Khamenei's Claim About 'God's Word' from His 'Tongue': 'The Dictator' Has Lost Control Over Himself

Ali Khamenei's remarks on Monday during a meeting with the family of Qassem Soleimani, where he mentioned that about twenty years ago 'God's word' was expressed through him, have sparked significant reactions on social media. In a video released from a recent meeting, Khamenei refers to a session 'about twenty years ago' with several commanders of the IRGC, claiming: 'I spoke warmly and engagingly. I was speaking, but it was God's word, and my tongue was very impactful.' Majid Masoudi, who identifies himself as a 'former journalist' on social media platform X, compared Khamenei's statements during his introduction as leader to his recent remarks. Khamenei had stated on June 4, 1989, upon becoming the leader, 'One must weep for the Islamic community that even the possibility of [leadership] by someone like me is raised.' This user on X stated: 'Only the elixir of absolute power and lack of accountability can bring such calamity upon an individual and a nation.' Alireza Miran, another user on X who is a neurologist, pointed out that 'these remarks reveal Khamenei's peak of psychosis,' writing: 'Madness expressed in secrecy is now being openly stated. The dictator no longer has control over himself.' Faraj Sarkouhi, a journalist, characterized Khamenei's statements as 'melancholic grandiosity, narcissism, and self-deification,' adding that such instances are 'characteristics of tyrants at the end of their reign.' However, Fatemeh (Shahrzad) Shams, a writer, stated that 'Khamenei is not delusional' but rather 'arrogant, self-centered, and self-aggrandizing.' She emphasized that the leader of the Islamic Republic remains in power due to 'plundering the people's wealth and their incessant killings,' and labeling him as a 'delusional mentally ill person' absolves him of responsibility, as if 'it is not his fault, which is not the case. Khamenei is Pharaoh himself.' Previously, Saeed Ghasemi-Nejad, a senior researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Voice of America that Khamenei has adopted the policy of the fourth Imam of Shia Muslims following the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel.