Iran’s New Leader Signals Hardline Stance, Threatens Strait of Hormuz Blockade Against U.S.
Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, appeared on national television on the 12th to deliver his first public message since his election, signaling a hardline stance toward the United States and Israel. The son of longtime leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was chosen as Iran’s third supreme leader after his father’s death, and he has not yet appeared publicly in person.
In the message, he argued that Tehran should continue using the leverage of blocking the Strait of Hormuz to pressure the United States and Western powers. He noted that roughly 20 percent of global crude shipments pass through the Hormuz, a chokepoint at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, and framed its closure as a tool for Tehran’s security and bargaining position.
The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy echoed the hard line, pledging to keep the Hormuz Strait blocked under the supreme leader’s orders in order to deliver “deadly” strikes against Iran’s enemies. The joint message underscored a readiness to escalate pressure on Western powers if tensions persist.
Mojtaba Khamenei declared that Iran would not shy away from retaliation for what he described as martyrs killed by the United States and Israel. He warned that attacks against Gulf neighbors would target U.S. military bases, signaling a broader regional confrontation rather than limited strikes on Iran itself.
He asserted that Iran had not attacked neighboring countries broadly, but had targeted the bases of those states that support its adversaries. He urged the closure of U.S. bases in the region, framing such actions as necessary to counter what he described as ongoing threats.
The supreme leader also disclosed personal losses, saying his father, his wife, his sister and a niece had died, and that a number of Iran’s compatriots had been killed in various incidents. He referred to the Minab school bombing in the south, describing young girls killed there as martyrs, a move that ties domestic tragedy to his broader rhetoric on accountability.
In a further hardline stance, he said Iran would seek compensation from its enemies and warned that if such compensation was refused, the assets of those enemies would be seized or destroyed in a return of pressure. The remarks aim to project a posture of deterrence and escalation.
The announcement came amid regional tension. In a related development, photos from Basra, near Iraq’s Gulf port, showed two oil tankers in flames, an incident described by some outlets as linked to Iranian actions or retaliation, underscoring the real-world stake for global energy markets and the United States’ security posture in the region.