Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new supreme leader, issued his first public statement on March 12, 2026, vowing to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and to continue retaliatory attacks tied to the Iran war.
The message was delivered as a written statement read on Iranian state television, with no live appearance from the leader.
The statement came as President Donald Trump has signaled interest in ending the conflict, while global energy markets remain strained by the disruption of oil shipments through the strait. Oil prices moved back above $100 a barrel on March 12 as traders weighed the possibility that the disruption could persist, Reuters reported.
Mojtaba Khamenei calls for continued pressure in his first statement
In the text attributed to him, Mojtaba Khamenei framed the closure of the strait as leverage and said Iran would not stop retaliating. Reuters quoted him as saying, “The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used.”
He also called on neighboring countries to shut U.S. military bases on their territory and warned that Iran would keep targeting those bases. Reuters reported the statement warned Iran would continue to strike in the region, and said the new leader described retaliation as a public demand.
The message follows nearly two weeks of U.S. and Israeli strikes that have damaged Iran’s military infrastructure and hit senior leadership targets, without collapsing the government, as described by The Associated Press. AP reported that Iran’s leadership is leaning on pressure against shipping and energy infrastructure as a way to raise the cost of the war for its opponents.
Why the message was read on state TV instead of delivered on camera
Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear in person, and the statement was read by a state television presenter. Iranian state TV gave no public explanation for the format, Reuters reported, and no images were released of him alongside the statement.
Reuters reported Iranian officials have said Mojtaba Khamenei was lightly wounded in the initial Feb. 28, 2026, airstrikes, but the extent of any injuries remains unclear. AP similarly reported that he has not appeared in public since the opening strikes and that his location is unknown.
The choice of a written statement, without video of the new leader, is also consistent with the reality that senior officials can become priority targets during wartime. Israeli officials have publicly signaled that senior Iranian decision-makers remain within the scope of Israel’s campaign, and U.S. officials have said Iranian military command nodes and related assets remain targets.
Strait of Hormuz closure and threats to Gulf basing
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most important shipping corridors for energy exports. Reuters described the route as one through which about a fifth of global oil normally passes, and Iran has used the threat of disruption there for decades as a strategic pressure point.
In his statement, Mojtaba Khamenei presented continued closure and interdiction of the strait as a deliberate tool of state policy. That stance matters for shipping insurers, tanker operators, and Gulf producers who depend on predictable transit and port access. When ships cannot move, producers can face storage constraints and may be forced to curb output if they cannot export.
The statement also elevated the issue of U.S. basing across the Gulf. Iran has long said the American military footprint nearby is a direct threat, and it has warned it could retaliate against sites it says are used to support operations.
AP reported that Mojtaba Khamenei urged Gulf states to “shut down” U.S. bases, while also warning of “opening other fronts” if the war continues.
At the same time, Gulf governments have repeatedly argued they do not want to be drawn deeper into a wider conflict, and several host nations have emphasized defensive purposes for U.S. deployments.
The war has tightened the space for diplomatic ambiguity, especially as drone and missile activity has expanded across multiple countries.
