Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed as a strategic tool to pressure Iran’s enemies, according to comments reported by Reuters.
In televised remarks carried by Iranian state television, Khamenei warned that U.S. military bases across the Middle East should shut down immediately, adding that those installations could be targeted if tensions escalate. The report said oil prices rose further following his statement.
Strait of Hormuz must remain closed as ‘tool to pressure enemy,’ Iran’s new supreme leader says in his first public statement pic.twitter.com/o5wcGmD8nM
— Molly Ploofkins (@Mollyploofkins) March 12, 2026
Khamenei’s remarks mark his first public comments since becoming Iran’s supreme leader on March 9, after his father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that began in late February.
The new leader vowed that Iran would avenge the deaths caused by the attacks and called for national unity. He also said Tehran would seek compensation from its enemies or retaliate against their assets.
Meanwhile, fighting continues to intensify as Iran attacks oil tankers and the United States and Israel maintain strikes on Iranian military infrastructure.
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