Iran’s supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has ended his silence with a bold declaration praising country’s dominance over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and pledging to protect the nation’s nuclear and missile programs.
“Today, two months following the most significant military deployment and aggression by the world’s bullies in the region, and the United States’ humiliating failure in its objectives, a new chapter is beginning for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” Mojtaba Khamenei stated in a message delivered by a state television anchor.
The statement indicated that Tehran would ensure the security of the Gulf region and eradicate what he referred to as “the enemy’s exploitation of the waterway,” asserting that “new management of the strait will provide comfort and advancement for the benefit of all nations in the region, and economic prosperity will bring happiness to the hearts of the people.”
Iran has aimed to leverage its control over the strait, the narrow passage through which approximately one-fifth of global oil typically flows, as a response to being attacked.
In a speech commemorating Persian Gulf Day in Iran, Khamenei also affirmed that Iran would “protect its modern technological capabilities – from nano to bio to nuclear and missile – as their national asset and will safeguard it as they do their maritime, land, and air borders.”
No audio or visual evidence of Khamenei has been aired since his appointment as supreme leader in early March. Reports have indicated that he sustained serious injuries in the bombing that claimed the life of his 86-year-old father and predecessor on 28 February. He is reportedly hospitalized receiving treatment for his injuries.
His latest statement implies that Iran is resolute in establishing a new fee structure in the strait, which it will promote as advantageous for the entire region, serving as a delayed assertion of regional sovereignty.
Since 13 April, the United States has initiated a counter-blockade aimed at preventing oil tankers from entering or leaving Iranian ports, effectively crippling the Iranian oil industry.
With negotiations mediated by Pakistan at a standstill, there are few indications that either blockade will be lifted, resulting in oil prices exceeding $120 per barrel. The volume of vessel traffic remains significantly diminished, at times dropping to as few as three ships daily, compared to the usual 120 to 140 under normal circumstances.
Khamenei’s statement declared, “Foreigners who maliciously covet it [the strait] from thousands of kilometers away have no place there except at the bottom of its waters.”
The closure of the strait has intensified pressure on Trump, as oil and gasoline prices have surged ahead of critical midterm elections, also affecting his Gulf allies who rely on this waterway for their oil and gas exports.
Trump’s acknowledgment on Wednesday that he was unaware of any quick resolution to the stalemate caused oil prices to approach $125 per barrel, reaching levels comparable to those seen in the initial weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
According to the Axios news website, the US military continues to provide Trump with options to resume military strikes.
Maj Gen Mohsen Rezaee, the military advisor to the supreme leader, posted on his X account: “The siege scenario will fail and Iran will never lose the strait of Hormuz. History will record that the Iranian nation sank the superpower of America in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. Both the field and diplomacy are advancing with the coordination of the leader of the revolution and the support of the people.”
War: You will end at the bottom of sea – Iran’s Supreme Leader issues warning to US
