Iran has issued its first message in the name of its new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, vowing to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and continue attacks on US assets in the region. The statement was read out on state television on Thursday, rather than delivered live or on video, amid doubts about his health following the lethal attack on his father's compound.
In the message, Khamenei demanded compensation from the US for its attacks, threatening to destroy US assets equivalent to the amount owed if Washington refused. He praised the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon for their support, despite the Houthis having stayed out of the conflict so far. He also called on Gulf states to close US bases on their territory, warning that America's claim of establishing security was a lie.
The 56-year-old hardliner, close to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), urged national unity and said the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz must continue. He vowed to avenge the 'blood of your martyrs', including 175 people killed in a missile strike on a primary school in Minab, for which a preliminary US military investigation reportedly found Washington responsible.
Khamenei spoke of his personal losses in the attack, including his father, wife, sister, and other relatives. However, Iranian state media later reported that contrary to earlier reports, his mother, Mansour, had survived. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a veiled threat against the new supreme leader during his first press conference since the war began.
