"We will avenge the blood of our martyrs": Iran's new supreme leader assures that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed

BarcelonaIran's new Supreme Leader, Mokhtaba Khamenei, confirmed in a statement on Thursday that "the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed" to pressure "the enemies." It is his first speech since On Sunday, he succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, in office.He was killed during the first day of the joint US-Israeli military operation against Iran. However, the state television that broadcast the statement showed only a black screen and a female voice reading the text. After being wounded in the war and with the US and Israel threatening to eliminate him as they did his father, Khamenei has not appeared before the Iranian people. But far from showing weakness, his words seem to reinforce his position as leader of a country united against the enemy. His speech has had an immediate impact on the markets: The price of oil has risen even more

Iran's highest political and religious authority has argued that to close the Strait of Hormuz, that vital channel that runs along the coast of Iran And through which a fifth of the world's oil passes, it is necessary to punish the enemies, that is, the United States and Israel, for the attacks against the Persian country. In this regard, he assured that Iran will avenge each of its martyrs and will continue attacking US bases in the region. The argument that the United States wants to guarantee security and peace in the Middle East, he stressed, "has only been a lie."

While he has shown himself to be conciliatory with the neighboring states of the Persian Gulf, he stated: "The enemy has bases in these countries and has used them to attack us." Therefore, in a message that seemed to seek the sympathy of the global Muslim community, and more specifically that of these countries, he recommended that their leaders close the bases because, otherwise, they will force Iran to attack them. "We believe in friendship with our neighbors and we are only attacking bases and will inevitably continue to do so," he maintained.

National Unity

Khamenei has thanked them for their work to the "fighters at the forefront of the resistance" and has referred to militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemenwho have also launched attacks against US bases. "The resistance is committed to the values ​​of the Islamic Republic," he declared. He also recalled the attack that targeted a girls' school in the city of Minab, in which 175 people, mostly children, were killed. He blamed the United States for the attack, as also suggested by independent analyses and a preliminary investigation by the Pentagon itself. "We will avenge the blood of our martyrs. They will pay not only for the assassination of the former Supreme Leader, but for the blood of every Iranian civilian who has lost their life in this war," he vowed, adding: "Under any circumstances, the enemies will pay the price. We will take revenge and destroy their facilities."

Khamenei, who was wounded in the legs during the US-Israeli offensive of February 28, presented himself as a martyr because he also lost his father, mother, wife, and child that same day, and emphasized the need for the population to make sacrifices to resist the enemyThe leader, who explained that he learned of his election as the new supreme leader through state television, appealed for national unity, urging Iranians to resist the enemy together and overcome their differences. He also assured that the country's authorities are developing plans to provide financial support to the war wounded.

Unlike the conciliatory rhetoric of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who had suggested possible conditions for a ceasefire, the new supreme leader has opted for a discourse focused on "resistance and revenge," showing no willingness to compromise. This approach is closer to that of the military wing of the Revolutionary Guard than to that of its political wing, according to an analysis by Professor Rob Geist Pinfold of King's College London and Zeidon Alkinani of Georgetown University in Qatar.

Attacks on oil tankers

Khamenei's order to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed—which he has said will be enforced by the Revolutionary Guard—reinforces the hypothesis that Iran's strategy is to generate a prolonged economic shock to force the White House to back down. This suggests that oil prices could continue to rise—after having fallen earlier this week—despite Donald Trump's attempts to reassure the markets. "The United States is the world's largest oil producer, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money," Trump wrote on social media. He added, "It is of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, to prevent an evil empire, Iran, from acquiring nuclear weapons."

Hours earlier, Iran's strength was demonstrated by its counteroffensive. Two oil tankers were attacked early Thursday morning off the coast of Iraq by suspected Iranian vessels loaded with explosives, causing a large fire. One of the ships was American-owned, and one crew member was killed. Three civilian vessels were also hit by projectiles in the Persian Gulf. One of the attacks, targeting a Thai-flagged vessel, was claimed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which argued that the ship disobeyed its orders. Tehran's offensive has been interpreted as a challenge to President Donald Trump's words on Wednesday, when he asserted that the United States had won the war. The attacks by the United States and Israel have displaced 3.2 million people to Iran, according to an estimate by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). This significantly increases the previous estimates, which put the number of people forced to leave their homes at one million.