Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, issued a hard-line message on the 18th (local time) to mark "Army Day."
Ayatollah Khamenei said in a statement that, "Just as Iran's drones strike like lightning at the United States and Zionist criminals (Israel), the brave navy is also ready to deliver a new, bitter defeat to the enemies."
Khamenei's singling out of the "navy" within the military's branches appears related to the Iranian foreign minister's post on X the previous day about temporarily opening the Strait of Hormuz. After the minister's post, U.S. President Donald Trump unleashed remarks suggesting "Iran accepted U.S. conditions," and Iran's military announced the reclosure of the Strait of Hormuz that day.
With the possibility of second talks with the United States growing, the supreme leader is seen as issuing a hard-line message aligning with the military's stance so that the foreign minister's post would not make Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz appear to have been preemptively conceded.
Ayatollah Khamenei also called the era of the Pahlavi dynasty a "corrupt tyrannical system," and argued that the victory of the Islamic Revolution became a turning point for Iran's army, ending a "period of weakness" and returning the military to the embrace of the people.
He went on to encourage that, "The military created a narrative against the evil plans of the United States, the remnants of the Pahlavi, and separatists," and that, "As in the two past imposed wars (the 2024 and 2025 U.S.-Israeli attacks), the military is bravely defending the homeland's territory and flag on the basis of strong divine and popular support."
Ayatollah Khamenei had not even released his voice since being selected as the supreme leader on the 9th of last month. This message was also released in writing via a Telegram channel and Iranian state media.