Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has stated in a cryptic fashion the path of the Shiite Imams is "the path of steadfastness and resistance" and their teaching is "the lesson of logic and reasoning," Javan reported on April 25.

In his speech marking the martyrdom of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei referenced Imam Hassan's peace treaty with Muawiyah (the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate), where he said difficult peace was sought, likely about ongoing negotiations with the US mediated by Oman.

Khamenei cited Imam Hassan's response to those who criticised him for making peace with Muawiyah: "When Imam Hassan Mujtaba made peace with Muawiyah, some people would come to complain and protest. The Imam would say: 'You do not know, perhaps it is a trial for you and a provision until a time.' This means it's temporary."

According to Khamenei, Imam Hassan's words indicated that "this dominance of disbelief and hypocrisy was not meant to be permanent; in divine destiny this was temporary."

Khamenei’s comments come as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flies to Muscat in Oman to meet with US Special Envoy Steve Wiktoff to discuss a deal over the country’s nuclear industry. Khamenei’s comments are often seen as an indirect way of discussing pressing matters.  

In a strange turn, religious extremists, often those loyal to the Islamic system, have sought to stop negotiations with the US, despite previous blessings from the Supreme Leader’s office of ongoing negotiations with Wiktoff.

The Supreme Leader remarked that the life of Imam Sadiq was "extraordinary and highly successful in terms of propagating divine rulings."

Khamenei discussed historical accounts about Imam Sadiq, questioning some narratives that portray the Imam as submissive to the Abbasid caliph Mansur.

"I categorically say these are false; they absolutely have no basis in reality. An Imam never speaks like this to anyone, whether there is a danger of being killed or not," he stated.

He criticised those who circulate such narratives, saying they were fabricated by court figures to undermine the spirit of the Shiites.

"The Imams taught lessons of steadfastness, resistance, and logic; they engaged with reasoning and compelling arguments."

Drawing parallels to contemporary events, Khamenei concluded: "Anyone who stands firm is moving in the path of these great personalities. Today, those who are resisting in Gaza and Lebanon are in fact working in the path of these guiding Imams of religion."