Iran’s new supreme leader vows to keep strait closed
New Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a statement on state television that for the first time since the succession of his murdered father, Iran will avenge its martyrs, keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and attack US bases.
In his defiant speech, Khamenei said that the United States should close all its bases in the region.
He said that the strait, which crosses the Iranian coast and provides one fifth of the world’s oil, should remain closed to put pressure on the enemy.
Iranian state television did not make any explanation as to why 56-year-old Khamenei was not seen on camera.
Israeli intelligence assessments suggest he was wounded in battle, possibly in the Feb. 28 Israeli attack that killed the father of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86.
This strategic message, consisting of seven parts, includes important points about the martyr Leader, the role and duty of the people, the Armed Forces, the Administration, the Resistance Front, the countries of the region and the confrontation with the enemy. March 12, 2026— Ayatollah Mujtaba Khamenei (@MKhamenei_ir) March 12, 2026
Two tankers burst into flames in an Iraqi port on Thursday after Iran hit boats suspected of being loaded with explosives; This means an increase in attacks that cut off oil from the Middle East.
Footage confirmed by Reuters to have been taken from the shores of Basra port showed ships engulfed by giant orange fireballs that lit up the night sky after attacks that Iraqi officials blamed on Iranian boats.
At least one crew member was killed.
Hours ago, three more ships were hit in the Gulf.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility for at least one of those attacks, on a bulk carrier that was set on fire in Thailand, and the Guard said those attacks did not follow orders.
Another container ship was reportedly hit by an unknown projectile near the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
The war, which began with a US-Israeli bombing campaign at the end of February, has so far killed nearly 2,000 people and caused what the International Energy Agency describes as the largest disruption to global energy supplies in history.
More drones reportedly flew to Kuwait, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman on Thursday.
Lebanon’s Iran-backed militia Hezbollah fired the largest volley of rockets of the war at Israel, prompting new Israeli attacks on Beirut.
Oil prices are back above $100 a barrel after falling earlier in the week when US President Donald Trump said the war would end soon.
Iranian officials announced that they will not allow oil to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important energy trade route, until the attacks of the USA and Israel end.
with AP
