Iran's supreme leader, for the first time, is telling his nation that it must prepare for war and "the end of times" as it continues to develop nuclear weapons.

State-owned media outlets, in a coordinated effort, all ran a similar story Friday highlighting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's message on the coming of the last Islamic messiah.

Until now, the Iranian media would mostly quote clerics from seminaries on the issue of the last Islamic messiah to avoid the regime being labeled messianic. However, the wide publication of Khamenei's statements on a need to prepare for the end of times as it confronts the West over its illicit nuclear program is alarming to Western leaders.

"The issue of Imam Mahdi is of utmost importance, and his reappearance has been clearly stated in our holy religion of Islam," Khamenei said. We must study and remind ourselves of the end of times and Imam Mahdi's era. ... We must prepare the environment for the coming so that the great leader will come."

Shiite theology holds that great wars must engulf the Earth, during which one-third of the world's population will die in the fighting and another third from hunger, lawlessness and havoc. Israel is to be destroyed, and only then will the 12th imam, Mahdi, reappear and kill all the infidels, raising the flag of Islam in all corners of the world.

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Under the guidance of Khamenei, several centers have been established in Iran on research and information on the coming of Mahdi, and a conference is held annually on Mahdiism.

"Today we have a duty to prepare for the coming. ... If we are the soldiers of the 12th imam, then we must be ready to fight," Khamenei said.

"With the guidance of Allah and His invisible help, we shall make the Islamic civilization proud on the world stage. ... This is our destiny. ... The youth, the faithful must prepare themselves for this great move."

Referring to the Quran, Khamenei said the coming has been promised by Allah. "There will come a time when all the oppressive powers of the world will be destroyed and humanity will be enlightened in the era of Imam Mahdi."

As reported recently, the regime has distributed the booklet "The Last Six Months" among its military forces in preparation for the coming and its confrontation with the West. The material admonishes the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij paramilitary forces that they must be prepared to do their duties during the expected war.

The Revolutionary Guards' media outlet, Mashregh, on Sunday warned Israel and America that they will have to guess as to what type of warhead the Iranian missiles will be carrying when targeting them.

In its lengthy piece, Mashregh discussed Iranian missile capability and the devastation it can wreak on potential enemies. Referring to U.S. military bases in the region, it said that in recent war games, ballistic missiles with cluster warheads destroyed targets similar to air bases and fighter craft hiding under hangers.

The piece boasts that the two-stage solid-fuel Sejil missile can pierce through Israel's missile defense system and has had "the Zionists losing sleep."

After a decade of negotiation with Iran, the West has yet to make any inroads in stopping the regime's illicit nuclear program.

The latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency indicated Iran continues to enrich uranium at both the Natanz and Fordow facilities and now has enough nuclear material for at least five nuclear weapons. The regime has denied an IAEA request for inspection of a military facility where it is believed Iran conducted secret experiments of an implosion-type nuclear weapon.

While a majority of Iranians oppose the mullahs' brutal regime, Western sanctions have not curtailed its pursuit of nuclear weapons, which not only could lead to the collapse of the global economy but the killing of tens of millions of innocent civilians, including those in Iran.



Reza Kahlili translated this Iranian video about Islamic prophecies of a coming messiah and the destruction of Israel:

Reza Kahlili is a pseudonym for a former CIA operative in Iran's Revolutionary Guards and the author of the award-winning book, "A Time to Betray." He is a senior Fellow with EMPact America, a member of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security and teaches at the U.S. Department of Defense's Joint Counterintelligence Training Academy (JCITA).