Sri Lanka, March 29 -- Iran's new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, thanked the Iraqi paramilitary groups that have been targeting American bases in the Middle East since the war began a month ago, semi-official IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency reported.

The message did not include any evidence that Khamenei, who has not been publicly seen since the war began last month, is alive. It also didn't include details on how the leader of the Islamic regime conveyed the message.

The message is rare for Khamenei, who has only released a handful of statements since becoming Iran's supreme leader last month after the assassination of his father, Ali Khamenei.

Khamenei's first message was delivered in a letter allegedly written by the Iranian leade...