In the past few months, as the Islamic State (IS) gained control over parts of Syria and Iraq and proclaimed a caliphate, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has made it a priority for the Iranian government to attempt to reduce tensions between Shiites and Sunnis. In an Oct. 12 Eid al-Ghadeer sermon, Khamenei emphasized the importance of unity between Shiite and Sunni Muslims and the necessity of the two major branches of Islam to avoid conflict.

High-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic have always talked about the importance of Shiite-Sunni unity and even dedicated a week each year to the issue. Their actions, however, have served to deepen the Shiite-Sunni divide, in particular their discrimination against Iranian Sunnis, including limitations on their religious activities, as well as efforts to propagate Shiism in the Middle East.

Why is it that the supreme leader at this point in time feels the need to warn against sectarian conflict in the Islamic world? In his Eid sermon, Khamenei said, “Shiites and Sunnis should not help the enemy by insulting each other’s sanctities. Anyone who fuels the Shiite-Sunni conflict is helping the United States, the Zionist regime and the evil United Kingdom, which are responsible for creating IS and al-Qaeda in the first place.”

It appears that Khamenei is worried about IS and the possibility of it inciting Iranian Sunnis who might have a tendency toward radical Islam. Another reason is that he is trying to defuse tensions to prevent Iranian Shiites from provoking the country's Sunnis. Iranian Shiites supportive of the government will likely follow the supreme leader’s instruction. Others, Shiite traditionalists inclined to publicize their opposition to the Sunnis and attack Sunni beliefs and practices, follow such Marja (religious authority) as Ayatollahs Vahid Khorasani, Seyed Sadegh Shirazi and Makarem Shirazi.