Mojtaba Khamenei threatened countries hosting US bases, urging them to shut facilities or face consequences.
Iran’s newly appointed supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, said on March 12 that closing the Strait of Hormuz must remain an option and vowed retaliation for Iranians killed in the conflict, according to Iran’s state news agency Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
The statement, delivered in writing rather than in person, marked his first major address since being chosen to replace his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.–Israeli strikes against Iran on Feb. 28.
Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear on camera during the broadcast. Israeli officials assessed on March 11 that he may have suffered a leg injury during attacks targeting his father’s bunker. An Israeli security official told Epoch Magazine on March 11 that the severity of Mojtaba Khamenei’s injury is unclear at this stage.
The new supreme leader signaled that Iran would pursue a prolonged campaign of retaliation.
“I assure everyone that we will not refrain from avenging the blood of your martyrs,” he said, adding that each civilian killed by Iran’s enemies constituted a separate case for revenge.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
