Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Morteza Nicobazul | Nur Photo | Getty Images
In his first public statement since taking office, Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday that the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz should continue as a “means to put pressure on the enemy.”
Khamenei also said in televised comments translated by Reuters that all US military bases in the Middle East should be closed immediately and that “those bases will be attacked.”
Oil prices widened their rise following the statement read out on state television. Since the war began, oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have been virtually halted, causing global oil prices to soar. Iran warned on Wednesday that the price could rise to $200 per barrel.
The comments are Khamenei’s first in public since he was appointed Iran’s supreme leader on March 9 after his father was assassinated in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes that began in late February.
Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the attack on his father’s compound, and the Ayatollah and other close relatives were killed.
“Iran will not hesitate to avenge the blood of its martyrs,” Khamenei said, calling for unity among the Iranian people.
Khamenei, 56, is seen as more hard-line and conservative than his father, but had a low profile in Iran until he was chosen to succeed him as supreme leader.
US President Donald Trump expressed “disappointment” at his selection by Iran’s senior clerics, telling Fox News: “I don’t think he can live in peace.”
Despite President Trump’s comments, it is unclear whether the White House aims to overthrow the regime in Tehran as one of the main objectives of the military operation. Experts say airstrikes alone will not be enough to oust Iran’s leadership.
The U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran’s critical and military infrastructure show no signs of coming to an end, with air and sea attacks intensifying this week. Iran stepped up its retaliatory attacks this week, attacking tankers in or near the Strait of Hormuz.
Khamenei said on Thursday that Iran will demand reparations from its enemies or “destroy enemy assets accordingly.”
