Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed revenge for those killed in the conflict with the United States, warning that Iran will keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and may target American bases in the region.
In a statement broadcast on Iranian state television on Thursday – his first remarks since succeeding his slain father – Khamenei said Iran would “avenge the blood of its martyrs.”
He also declared that the United States must close all its bases in the region and insisted the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz should remain shut to pressure Iran’s enemies.
The waterway, which runs along Iran’s coastline, carries around one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, making it one of the most critical shipping routes in global energy markets.
The statement came as violence intensified across the Gulf. Two tankers were ablaze at Iraq’s port of Basra on Thursday after being struck by boats believed to be carrying Iranian explosives, according to Iraqi authorities. Footage verified by Reuters showed ships engulfed in flames lighting up the night sky, with at least one crew member reported killed.
Earlier in the day, three other vessels were struck in separate incidents across the Gulf. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for one attack on a Thai bulk carrier that was set ablaze after, they said, it had disobeyed their orders. Another container ship reported being hit by an unidentified projectile near the United Arab Emirates.
The attacks represent a sharp escalation in maritime hostilities that have disrupted oil shipments from the Middle East, despite US President Donald Trump’s claim that the war he launched two weeks ago had already been won.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held his first press conference since the war began, signalling that Israel may continue targeting Iran’s leadership.
“We are crushing the terror regime in Iran. We are striking and defeating its proxies – Hezbollah in Lebanon,” Netanyahu said, addressing Israeli reporters during a Zoom briefing.
“Hezbollah is feeling our force, and it will feel it even more so. It will pay a very heavy price for its aggression,” he warned.
Netanyahu also praised the military coordination between Israel and the United States, saying: “Through an unprecedented joining of forces between Israel and the United States, we have achieved tremendous accomplishments – achievements that are changing the balance of power in the Middle East and even beyond it.”
In remarks widely interpreted as a veiled threat, Netanyahu referenced the death of Iran’s former supreme leader and suggested the new leadership could face a similar fate.
“We eliminated the old tyrant, and the new tyrant, the puppet of the Revolutionary Guards, can’t show his face in public,” he said.
When asked about possible action against Khamenei and Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem, Netanyahu refused to rule out further strikes.
“I wouldn’t issue life insurance policies on any of the leaders of the terrorist organization… I don’t intend to give an exact message here about what we are planning or what we are going to do,” he said.
Netanyahu also claimed the conflict had significantly weakened Tehran and its regional allies.
According to the Israeli leader, Iran is “no longer the same”, and neither the country nor Hezbollah now poses the same level of threat it once did.
Israel has argued that its military campaign was necessary to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions. Netanyahu said Tehran had accelerated its nuclear programme and moved it deeper underground despite warnings following last June’s war.
“If we had not acted immediately, within a few months Iran’s industries of death would have become immune to any strike. Therefore, we went out together to battle – the United States and Israel – to continue what we began and to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. To prevent Iran from developing ballistic missiles that threaten Israel, the United States, and the entire world. That is our objective,” he said.
Source: Cyprus Mail and Times of Israel
