Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that the United States and Israel were seeking to destabilise the Islamic Republic, according to a written message read on state television.

“The enemy’s blind plan, after the imposed war, the economic pressure, and the political and propaganda siege, is to create divisions and disintegration to compensate for military defeats and bring the nation to its knees,” Khamenei said.

The message marked the anniversary of the founding of Iran’s national legislature. Khamenei also called for unity and “cohesion” among Iranians.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, succeeded his father, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on Feb. 28 after US-Israeli strikes on Iran that triggered a war across the region.