Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei released a statement praising what he called Iran’s “courageous resistance” against the United States and Israel. The statement was issued during National Persian Language Preservation Day and in honour of the famous Persian poet Ferdowsi. Khamenei said recent events showed that the heroic stories in Ferdowsi’s epic poem Shahnameh reflect the spirit and strength of the Iranian people today. He added that the values and ideas in the poem help unite Iranians from different ethnic and social backgrounds to protect the country’s identity and independence. Khamenei also compared Iran’s enemies to “Zahhak-like aggressors”, referring to an evil figure from Iranian mythology.