King Charles, Queen Camilla conclude US state visit; Trump floats new plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s supreme leader says the Islamic Republic will retain its “nuclear and missile capabilities” as a national entity, possibly trying to take a hard line as US President Donald Trump seeks a broader deal to solidify the shaky ceasefire currently in place in the war.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei struck a defiant tone in his written statement read by a state television host since taking office as Iran’s supreme leader, insisting that the only place Americans belong in the Persian Gulf is “the bottom of the waters” and that a “new page” has been written in the history of the region.
But his remarks come at a time when Iran’s oil industry is being squeezed by a US naval blockade that prevents oil tankers from sailing.
“With the help and power of Allah, the bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without America, serving the progress, comfort and prosperity of its people,” Khamenei said. He was reportedly injured in the February 28 attack that killed the father of 86-year-old former religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“We share a common destiny with our neighbors in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometers away to act with greed and evil have no place here except at the bottom of the waters.”
Speaking on the occasion of Persian Gulf Day in Iran, Khamenei’s words also signaled that nuclear issues and Iran’s ballistic missile program cannot be traded.
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