Iran’s supreme leader says closure of Strait of Hormuz should be used as leverage

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, urged the Strait of Hormuz to remain closed to merchant ships, according to a statement read Thursday on Iranian state TV.

Although a photograph of Mr. Khamenei was shown, there have been no public sightings of him since Sunday, when Iran’s Assembly of Experts announced his selection. 

Mr. Khamenei praised the efforts of the Iranian armed forces, saying they are “powerfully defending the homeland and retaliating against the enemies’ attacks.”

In his statement, Mr. Khamenei said Iran would “not forsake avenging the blood” of those who were killed as a result of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. mission in Iran.

“Iran seeks warm relations with neighboring countries and has not attacked its neighbors but targeted the U.S. bases in those states because the enemy was attacking Iran from those areas,” he said, according to the state-controlled Mehr News Agency.

His father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in a bunker on Feb. 28 during the U.S.-Israeli airstrike in Tehran. It marked the end of his 36-year absolute rule in Iran. 

According to reports, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps pressured the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body responsible for choosing the nation’s leader, to appoint Mr. Khamenei as supreme leader to ensure state continuity during the war.

Tehran’s envoy to Cyprus told The Guardian newspaper that Mr. Khamenei was in the late ayatollah’s home when it was leveled by the joint U.S. and Israeli mission.

“He was there, and he was injured in the bombardment,” Ambassador Alireza Salarian told the British newspaper. “I have heard that he was injured in his legs, hand and arm. I think he is in the hospital because he is injured.”

According to reports, the airstrike also killed the new supreme leader’s wife, Zahra, and his teenage son, Mohammad Bagher. Mr. Salarian said there’s an explanation for why Mojtaba Khamenei hasn’t appeared in public or made any statements since then.

“I don’t think he is [in any condition] to give a speech,” he said, according to The Guardian.