Iran13 March, 20262 min read
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Vows to Continue Blocking Critical Oil Shipping Route
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Mojtaba Khamenei vowed ongoing retaliation against the United States and Israel Khamenei vowed to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz, choking global oil shipments
Inaugural televised vow
Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s newly announced supreme leader, delivered a defiant inaugural message that was read on state television and vowed retaliation while signalling Tehran would keep pressure on maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
“Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured in an air strike, has yet to appear publicly since his nomination last Sunday as supreme leader, and his defiant first message was read by a newscaster on state television.”
Multiple outlets reported that his first statement was not delivered in person but read aloud on state TV, marking his public debut since taking over after his father’s death, and that the message explicitly pledged revenge and continued disruption of the critical shipping route.
Demands and threats
Khamenei’s message included direct demands and explicit threats: he urged Gulf countries to close U.S. military bases, vowed to avenge “the blood of our children and grandchildren,” and insisted that “the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used.”
The Revolutionary Guards’ navy commander echoed those orders, promising to carry out “the harshest blows” while maintaining the strategy of closing the strait, and other reports say Khamenei demanded the United States shut down regional military facilities as part of the pressure campaign.
Shipping disruption and markets
The vow to keep the strait blocked has had an immediate operational and economic impact: maritime traffic near Hormuz was reported at a near-standstill, multiple vessels were attacked or damaged in Gulf waters, and crude prices surged above $100 per barrel as global energy markets jittered.
“Under attack from Iran, shipping in and around Hormuz has been at a near-standstill for days, with another three vessels targeted in the Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.”
Eyewitness and local reports described tankers burning after strikes at an Iraqi port and other ships hit off the UAE and Iraq, while agencies warned the conflict could create the largest supply disruption in history.
Casualties and discrepancies
Khamenei’s pledge was framed by intense human costs and conflicting casualty figures reported across outlets: some sources cited at least 1,200 dead and millions displaced, others put total deaths around 2,000, and local reporting highlighted a separate, deadly school strike that reportedly killed more than 165 children—an attack that some agencies said may have been the result of outdated intelligence.
These discrepancies in toll estimates and attribution are reflected across the coverage.
Regional and global responses
The international and regional reactions captured in reporting show a widening conflict and stark geopolitical choices: U.S. and Israeli officials framed their campaign as aimed at degrading Iran’s capabilities, while President Donald Trump defended the operation as prioritising the defeat of Iran over oil-market pain.
“Meanwhile, United States President Donald Trump defended the ongoing military campaign against Iran, saying defeating Tehran was more important than the impact on crude oil prices.”
Gulf states reported drone and fuel-facility strikes, and Iran’s leadership and military vowed continued retaliation—heightening the risk of further escalation and prolonged disruption to global energy flows.
