Mojtaba Khamenei promises revenge against US and expands military threat from Iran

Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said the country would attack US military bases in the Middle East and keep the Strait of Hormuz, one of the most important strategic routes for global oil transport, closed. The statements were released this Thursday (12) in a statement read on Iranian state television, in the leader’s first public statement since taking office following the death of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In the text, Mojtaba adopted a tone of direct confrontation with Washington and promised to retaliate for the deaths that occurred in recent clashes between Iran, the United States and Israel.

“All American bases in the region must be closed immediately. These bases will be attacked,” he said in the message broadcast by the state broadcaster. He added that “Iran will not refrain from avenging the blood of its martyrs.”

The current war was triggered by attacks carried out by American and Israeli forces against Iranian leadership targets. On the first day of the conflict, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a bombing, opening a succession crisis in the Iranian regime.

Mojtaba Khamenei was chosen by the Assembly of Experts — the religious body responsible for nominating the supreme leader — and took office a few days later. Considered a representative of the most conservative wing of the regime, he is identified by analysts as one of the most influential names in the political and religious circle close to the former leader.

In his speech, the new leader also defended the continuation of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime passage that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and through which around a fifth of the oil traded in the world flows.

“The instrument of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must certainly still be used,” he said. According to him, the measure is part of the pressure strategy against Iran’s opponents in the conflict. Mojtaba also indicated that the country is considering expanding the military scope of the war. In the statement, he stated that Tehran analyzed the possibility of opening new combat fronts if the conflict continues.

“Regarding the opening of other fronts, in which the enemy has little experience and will be extremely vulnerable, studies were carried out. The activation of these fronts will occur if the war situation persists and taking into account interests”, he declared.

The statement also included thanks to Iran’s regional allies. Mojtaba cited the so-called “Resistance Front”, an informal alliance that includes armed groups and political organizations supported by Tehran in different countries in the Middle East.

“The Resistance Front is an inseparable part of the values ​​of the Islamic Revolution,” he stated. The leader also said he considers the countries and groups that make up the alliance as “Iran’s best friends”.

Among the allies mentioned in the speech are organizations such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shiite militias in Iraq and the Houthi movement in Yemen. These groups have participated in attacks against US and Israeli positions since the beginning of the military escalation in the region.

In the text released by state television, Mojtaba reinforced that the Iranian government intends to retaliate for the deaths that occurred in the conflict. “I give everyone the certainty that we will not renounce revenge for the blood of their martyrs,” he stated. According to him, the retaliation does not only refer to the death of his father, but also to the Iranian victims of the conflict.

“The revenge we have in mind does not only refer to the martyrdom of the eminent leader of the Revolution; each member of the nation who is martyred by the enemy constitutes, in itself, an independent case for the revenge dossier,” he said.

Despite his aggressive speech, Mojtaba has yet to make public appearances since being appointed supreme leader.

According to information released by Reuters, he was slightly injured on the first day of the war — the same attack in which his father died. Iranian officials later said the leader was “safe and sound” but did not confirm details about possible injuries.

An Israeli official interviewed by the agency stated that Mojtaba was hit in the legs during the attack, which would explain the lack of public appearances until now.

In recent days, Iranian state media have started to refer to the leader as a “wounded war veteran”. The expression was also used by the Komiteh Emdad religious foundation when congratulating him on his selection for the position.

Mojtaba’s election was seen by international observers as a gesture of defiance against US pressure on Iran.

American President Donald Trump had recently declared that Washington should have influence over who would take charge of the country after the death of Ali Khamenei. Speaking to journalists this week, he said Iran’s new leadership group would be put to the test.

“We overthrew their leadership twice. Now there’s a new group taking over. Let’s see what happens to them,” Trump said during a visit to a factory in the state of Ohio.

Before the new leader was chosen, Israeli authorities had also made direct threats. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stated that any leader chosen by the current Iranian power structure could become “an unequivocal target for elimination.”