New Supreme Leader of Iran Mujtaba Khamenei vowed on Thursday to continue strikes against US military bases in the region and maintain the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, in his first message since assuming office.
Khamenei warned of “opening new fronts of war” against the United States and Israel, asserting that the closure of the vital shipping lane would persist as long as the “American-Israeli war” against Iran continues. He noted, however, that the policy could change based on “interests.”
In a message broadcast by Iranian state television, in which he did not appear on screen, Khamenei claimed Tehran aims for “strong relations with neighbouring countries” but insisted that US bases within those nations must be “disrupted as soon as possible” because they were used to “kill our sons.”
“We have dealt crushing blows to the enemies, and we will continue an effective defence,” Khamenei said. “The Strait of Hormuz must be utilised, and also in fronts where the enemy does not possess the necessary capabilities.”
Mujtaba Khamenei succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated during the initial US and Israeli strikes on Tehran on Feb 28. The new leader stated he learned of the Assembly of Experts’ vote to appoint him via state media at the same time as the public. He further claimed the Iranian armed forces had successfully “thwarted plans to partition Iran.”
Addressing neighbouring states, Khamenei said Iran shares land or sea borders with 15 countries and has always desired good relations. However, he alleged that “the enemy” has established military and financial bases in some of these countries to ensure regional hegemony.
“In the recent aggression, some of those bases were used, and therefore we targeted only the bases without attacking the countries themselves,” Khamenei said. “I recommend those countries close these bases as soon as possible, as it has been proven that US promises of security and peace were merely lies.”
Since the conflict began on Feb 28, Tehran has launched missile and drone attacks across the Gulf region, targeting infrastructure, ports, airports, and residential buildings. Gulf states have repeatedly stressed they do not permit their territory, airspace, or territorial waters to be used for military strikes against Iran.
The leader thanked Lebanon’s Hezbollah and the “resistance front in Iraq” for assisting the Islamic Republic, calling them “our best friends” and stating they would “shorten the path to getting rid of the Zionist entity.” He added that Iran would demand compensation for war damages, threatening to seize or destroy equivalent assets if the “enemy” refused to pay.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) described the conflict as causing the “largest disruption in history” to the global oil market. Brent crude jumped back above $100 per barrel on Thursday following attacks on two tankers in Iraqi territorial waters and the evacuation of a major export terminal in Oman.
According to the IEA’s monthly report issued Thursday, the war has affected approximately 7.5% of global supplies. The agency estimated that the conflict would reduce global oil supplies by 8m bpd this month, a total of approximately 250m barrels.
Flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which handled 20m bpd of crude and products last year, have collapsed by more than 90%. While Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have attempted to use alternative export routes, the effective closure of the Strait has forced regional producers to shut in a combined 10m bpd of production.
IEA member states agreed on Wednesday to withdraw an unprecedented 400m barrels from emergency reserves to mitigate the market impact. The agency also noted that high prices, flight cancellations, and economic uncertainty have slowed global consumption growth by 25% to 640,000 bpd, the lowest projection since it issued its 2026 forecast in April last year.
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