Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said the U.S. attack ended in a humiliating defeat and vowed to newly manage the Strait of Hormuz. He also said Iran would protect its nuclear and missile technology.
Marking "Persian Gulf Day," Mojtaba said in a message released on the 30th (local time) that "the U.S. attack ended in a humiliating defeat," adding, "Within our governing scope, we will remove U.S. influence and establish a new management system for the Strait of Hormuz." He also signaled a resolve to protect Iran's nuclear and missile technology that the United States and Israel want to eliminate.
He said, "The Persian Gulf is an unprecedented blessing given by (God) to Muslim countries and the Iranian people, and a part of their identity and civilization."
Succeeding his father, who was killed in U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Feb. 28, Mojtaba was elected Iran's third supreme leader. He had never appeared in public and had not revealed his actual voice.
This message was also released through the social media platform X and state media.
Mojtaba said a new chapter is opening for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz due to the U.S. defeat. In particular, he said, "The bright future of the Persian Gulf is a future without the United States," and emphasized, "Iran will implement new legal rules and a management system to block the use of the Strait of Hormuz by hostile forces."
He went on to criticize that "U.S. military bases in the region are vulnerable and it has been proven that they cannot guarantee the safety of allied countries," adding, "The U.S. presence is merely a cause of regional instability."
In addition, Mojtaba said he would mobilize scientific and military technology to defend territory and, through a new strait management system, deliver economic benefits to all countries in the region.
As scientific and technological capabilities to be mobilized for territorial defense, he mentioned nano, bio, as well as nuclear and missiles. He indicated a willingness to protect technologies that the United States and Israel want to eliminate.
Mojtaba said, "For foreign forces that come with malice from 10,000 km away, the only place is the bottom of the sea," adding, "The chain of victories achieved through the policy of resistance will be the starting point for opening a new order in the world and the region."
Iran designates Apr. 30 every year as "Persian Gulf Day." It commemorates the Safavid dynasty's expulsion of Portuguese forces from the Strait of Hormuz in 1622.