Khamenei Calls on Muslim Nations to Isolate Israel While Iran Ramps Up Missile Procurement from China
Executive Summary
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 2025 Hajj message urges Muslim governments to sever all support to Israel and accuses the United States of complicity in Gaza’s suffering. While framing the Gaza war as a religious test for Islamic nations, Tehran simultaneously secures vast shipments of ballistic missile materials from China—bolstering its regional military posture and arming allies such as the Houthis. The juxtaposition between calls for Islamic unity and Iran’s covert militarization underscores the strategic ambition behind Khamenei’s rhetoric.
Analysis
In his annual message to Hajj pilgrims, Ayatollah Khamenei shifted focus from spirituality to geopolitics, framing the Gaza war as a litmus test of Islamic moral integrity. He urged Muslim states to cut off all “avenues of assistance” to Israel and denounced U.S. involvement as “a definite accomplice” in war crimes. Echoing past anti-Western themes, Khamenei called for regional governments to pressure the U.S. into halting its support for Israeli operations and demanded unified Islamic action on Gaza.
Yet, behind these exhortations of piety and solidarity, Iran is aggressively preparing for wider conflict. A concurrent Wall Street Journal report revealed that Tehran has placed substantial orders for missile components from China, including thousands of tons of ammonium perchlorate, a vital propellant in ballistic missile production. Analysts say this could enable the construction of hundreds of new missiles, some likely destined for proxy groups like the Houthis and Hezbollah.
These developments come at a time when the regional “axis of resistance”—led by Iran and including Hezbollah and the Houthis—is gaining momentum. Hezbollah hailed the recent U.S. withdrawal from its Yemen campaign as proof that sustained armed resistance, not diplomacy, weakens Western power. Meanwhile, the Houthis have escalated their own operations, declaring a blockade on Israel’s Haifa Port and repeatedly targeting Israeli territory with ballistic missiles. Their alignment with Tehran’s broader narrative is clear: military action, not negotiation, is the key to reshaping the region.
The contradictions for Iran’s strategic partners are mounting. China, for example, now finds its investments in Haifa Port under threat by the very actors it indirectly supplies. The Shanghai International Port Group’s (SIPG) role in Israel is complicated by the Houthis’ vow to target Haifa, exposing Chinese economic interests to retaliatory violence.
Adding fuel to the fire, Israel recently bombed Sanaa International Airport, destroying Yemen’s last functioning civilian plane and allegedly targeting missile launch infrastructure used against Israeli cities. The Houthis vowed their support for Gaza would not falter despite the damage, and Israeli officials framed the strikes as a direct warning to Iran’s proxies.
While Khamenei’s Hajj message sought to invoke Islamic unity and moral duty, Iran’s real-time actions reflect a calculated and dual-track strategy: spiritual appeals to the Muslim world alongside an expanded missile arsenal and proxy engagement to exert pressure on Israel and its allies. By blending religious symbolism with military escalation, Tehran hopes to recast regional power dynamics under the banner of resistance—even as its actions risk regional escalation and global entanglement.
