In his first message as Iran’s new supreme leader, Mukhta Khamenei adopted a defiant tone this Thursday (12), demanding that the Strait of Hormuz remain closed, threatening American bases in the Middle East and promising that “the blood of the martyrs will be avenged.”
“The Strait of Hormuz must remain closed,” Iran’s new top political and religious authority stressed in a statement read by a presenter on state television, while an image of the Iranian flag and a photograph of the new leader were displayed.
Traffic in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil passes, has been virtually disrupted by Iranian attacks on ships in the region since the start of the war.
Mukhta Khamenei is the son of the previous Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the American and Israeli strikes. The new leader, who has not been seen in public since his election last Sunday, threatened American bases in the region, saying they will “inevitably” be attacked.
He warned neighboring countries that host these military installations that they must take action: “I recommend that they expel these bases as quickly as possible.”
In his view, the claim that the US wants to guarantee security and peace in the Middle East “is nothing more than a lie.”
Khamenei declared that he seeks “cordial” and “constructive” relations with his 15 neighboring countries and stated that the attacks suffered by several of them during the war were directed at American bases and not their territories.
“We believe in friendship with our neighbors and we are only attacking bases, and we will inevitably continue to do so,” he said.
Mokhtaba Khamenei said he learned of his election as Iran’s new top leader on Sunday through state television. He is the third leader in the 47-year history of the Ayatollahs’ regime succeeding Ali Khamenei and Ruhollah Khomeini.
“For me, taking the place of two great leaders, the great Khomeini and the martyr Khamenei, is a difficult task,” he said.
In addition to his father, his mother, wife and a son were killed in the attacks, which began on Saturday, February 28, and continue to this day.
The new leader was injured in the legs in these attacks, the The New York Times on Wednesday, citing official Iranian and Israeli sources, a claim denied by Tehran.
Mojtaba Khamenei stated that “we will not give up avenging the blood of the martyrs.”
