Tehran's acting Friday prayers leader, Mohammad Hasan Abutorabi-Fard, has claimed that Iran "successfully struck 13 US military bases" in the hours after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed, Tasnim News Agency reported on April 24.

Abutorabi Fard, delivering his weekly sermon in the Iranian capital, used the scale of the alleged Iranian response to praise what he called the enduring resolve of the Islamic Republic's leadership following the February 28 strikes that killed Khamenei and much of Iran's military and political command. 

According to the cleric, the determination of the currently unseen successor son, Mojtaba Khamenei, in the opening hours drove a successful attack on 13 US bases. Since his father's death, the younger Khameneni is believed to be in charge according to Iranian authorities, but no one has yet seen proof of life of the younger cleric. 

Some of the bases had been destroyed and others rendered unusable, he said, citing unnamed "official reports," which have not yet been rebuffed by US officials. 

The US acknowledged that several regional bases, including Al Udeid in Qatar and Al Asad in Iraq, came under Iranian missile and drone fire during the opening day of the conflict. Washington has not confirmed the figures that match Abutorabi Fard's claim. Independent damage assessments of US bases struck during the war have not been published.

The Tehran sermon also focused on the Islamic Revolution's role in maintaining Iranian independence against major powers, with Abutorabi Fard saying the Islamic Revolution had "raised the banner of confronting global arrogance" in Iran.

The cleric said real power was the "firm will to use the sources of power," citing both tangible resources, including financial, economic and military capacity and intangible resources such as information, knowledge, faith and values.

The Friday sermons serve as a key platform for articulating the Islamic Republic's political messaging during national crises. 

Axios reported earlier this week that Mojtaba's approval was required for Iran to attend a second round of talks in Islamabad with the US, suggesting he retains decision-making authority despite his absence from public view.

Pro-leadership rhetoric has dominated Friday sermons across Iranian cities throughout the war, with clerics describing military outcomes in terms that emphasise Iranian resolve.

The claims form part of broader Iranian narratives that have at times diverged from Western and regional reporting, and should be treated with caution given the political role of state-aligned outlets.