Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, urged Gulf rulers in a written message on Sunday to identify their “real enemy,” understand its plans and confront it.

The message, marking the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and published on Khamenei’s Telegram account, also called for unity, mutual defense against “enemies” and cooperation among Muslims worldwide.

Undated archive footage released by Iranian media shows Mojtaba Khamenei before he assumed the role of Iran’s supreme leader. via REUTERS

Khamenei has not been seen in public since being injured in the US-Israeli airstrikes six months ago that launched the war, killing his father and previous supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.