Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Orders Continued Military Resistance, Keeps Strait of Hormuz Closed

Iran’s state media broadcast a message attributed to Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, that vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and to continue attacks on U.S. bases in the region.

“Mojtaba Khamenei has issued his first statement since taking over as Iran’s supreme leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and several family members were assassinated in the United States and Israeli strikes at the outset of the war that has now embroiled much of the Middle East”

Al Jazeera

The statement was presented as the new leader’s first message and was read out on state television rather than delivered live by Khamenei himself.

Al Jazeera

The way the address was issued — read by a television announcer with a photo of Khamenei on screen — has intensified questions about his visibility, whereabouts and health.

Multiple outlets noted he has not appeared publicly since his succession and some sources reported he may have been injured in the strikes that killed his predecessor.

CGTN

The message doubled down on coercive regional tactics: it explicitly called for the Strait of Hormuz to be used as leverage and urged neighbouring states to shut U.S. military bases or face attacks.

“• Aircraft lost: An American refueling plane went down in Iraq, according to the US military, which said the aircraft was not hit by hostile or friendly fire”

CNN International

Those demands signal Tehran intends to sustain military resistance and pressure across the Gulf.

The announcement has immediate strategic and economic implications: outlets warned the closure would be used as a 'tool of pressure' with potential for significant disruption to global energy flows, markets and shipping.

Iran and allied forces have already attacked vessels in and around the Gulf, demonstrating the immediate risk to maritime traffic.

Firstpost

The appointment and the message have provoked mixed domestic and international reactions and exposed conflicting casualty and displacement figures in the reporting.

“Iran has pledged to keep up its military campaign in the Middle East in the first statement issued in the name of Mojtaba Khamenei, following his appointment as the country's new supreme leader”

International Business Times UK

Some outlets cite high Iranian casualties and millions displaced, while others report broader death toll estimates, and analysts warn of heightened regional instability and market shock.

International Business Times UK