Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei breaks silence: Hormuz stays closed, war expands

Iran’s state television broadcast on Thursday the first public statement attributed to the country’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, four days after his formal appointment by the Assembly of Experts. The statement was read aloud by a news presenter while a still photograph of Mojtaba Khamenei appeared on screen. No audio recording, video message, or live appearance accompanied the statement, which was simultaneously distributed through a new Telegram channel established by the office of the supreme leader.

In the statement, Mojtaba Khamenei declared that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would continue as a tool of pressure against the United States and Israel. He stated that the lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used and signalled that the closure would remain in effect for the duration of hostilities. He also demanded that all United States military bases in the Middle East be shut down immediately, warning that those bases would be attacked if they were not closed. He said Iran believes in friendly relations with its regional neighbours but would continue targeting United States military infrastructure in the region regardless.

Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was appointed as the Islamic Republic’s third Supreme Leader on 8 and 9 March 2026 by the Assembly of Experts, the 88-member clerical body that holds constitutional authority over the succession process. His appointment followed the killing of his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in joint United States and Israeli airstrikes on Tehran on 28 February 2026. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had served as Supreme Leader for 37 years. In the statement broadcast Thursday, Mojtaba Khamenei said he had learned of his own appointment from state television, alongside the rest of the Iranian public.

The statement addressed the personal loss Mojtaba Khamenei sustained in the 28 February 2026 strike, which killed his father, mother, wife, sister and other relatives. He described visiting the body of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei after his death and noted that his father’s fist had been clenched, which he characterised as a final act of resistance. He offered condolences to Iranians who had suffered losses, injuries, or property damage in the United States and Israeli strikes, and stated that he shared in their grief.

Why has Mojtaba Khamenei not appeared publicly since becoming Iran’s supreme leader amid ongoing US-Israeli strikes?

The absence of any video or audio recording of Mojtaba Khamenei, even as his written statement was broadcast to a global audience, has sustained uncertainty about his health and the degree of effective control he exercises over the Islamic Republic’s security apparatus. Iranian state media had previously applied the designation jaanbaz, a term used for injured war veterans, to Mojtaba Khamenei, appearing to confirm he was wounded in the same strike that killed his father. Iran’s ambassador to Cyprus, Alireza Salarian, stated to The Guardian that Mojtaba Khamenei had suffered injuries to his legs, arms and hands. International media outside Iran reported he sustained a fractured foot and minor facial injuries. An Iranian official stated earlier in the week that he was alive and well, and an adviser to President Masoud Pezeshkian said the new supreme leader was in a secure location.

Security considerations have further constrained any public appearance. The Israeli military, in a statement issued on 8 March 2026, warned that its forces would continue to pursue any person appointed as successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and would not hesitate to target participants in the succession process. The Israeli Foreign Ministry subsequently described Mojtaba Khamenei as a tyrant in the mould of his father. Analysts noted that a written statement read by a presenter carries significantly lower security risk than a video message that could reveal the new supreme leader’s location. Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, told NBC News that Mojtaba Khamenei was being effectively hunted and had to take extreme protective measures.

What is the significance of Mojtaba Khamenei vowing revenge and opening new military fronts in Iran’s war with the United States and Israel?

Mojtaba Khamenei declared in the statement that Iran would not refrain from avenging the blood of its martyrs and that every Iranian citizen killed by the enemy constituted an independent case for vengeance. He stated that Iran would seek compensation from the enemy, and that if compensation were refused, Iran would seize an equivalent amount of the enemy’s property, and if that were not possible, would destroy the same amount of the enemy’s assets. He also indicated that Iranian officials were studying the possibility of opening new military fronts against adversaries where they are assessed to have little experience and high vulnerability, warning that these fronts would be activated if the conflict continues and if it serves Iran’s interests.

The statement praised Iran’s network of regional aligned armed groups, which Mojtaba Khamenei referred to collectively as the resistance front. He specifically named the Houthi movement in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and armed groups in Iraq, describing them as Iran’s closest friends and as inseparable from the values of the Islamic Revolution. His remarks foreshadowed the potential for the Houthi movement to escalate its involvement in the conflict. The statement offered no indication of any conditions under which Iran might agree to a ceasefire or negotiate an end to the conflict, and made no reference to any diplomatic off-ramps.

How does the Strait of Hormuz closure attributed to Iran affect global oil supply and the international energy market?

The Strait of Hormuz is a 24-mile maritime passage between Iran and Oman that serves as the primary export route for Gulf oil producers. Approximately one-fifth of the world’s annual oil supply transits the strait. The effective halt in commercial oil shipping through the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began has produced one of the largest global oil supply disruptions in decades. Crude oil prices climbed following Thursday’s statement, and Iranian officials warned on Wednesday that prices could reach 200 United States dollars per barrel. The International Energy Agency authorised the largest coordinated release of strategic petroleum reserves in the agency’s history, totalling 400 million barrels, with IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol stating the action had already exerted a strong stabilising effect on markets. The agency estimated that global supply could fall by 8 million barrels per day in March as production across the broader Middle East is disrupted and traffic through the Strait of Hormuz falls to a fraction of normal levels.

How did the United States, Israel, Russia, and regional governments respond to Mojtaba Khamenei’s first statement as Iran’s supreme leader?

International reaction to the statement and to the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei has followed established geopolitical alignments. United States President Donald Trump expressed disappointment in the appointment, saying he believed the choice was a big mistake and that Mojtaba Khamenei would not be able to live in peace. Trump had previously described Mojtaba Khamenei as a lightweight and had stated publicly that he expected to have a say in who governed Iran after the conflict, a position Tehran firmly rejected. The Israeli military had issued advance warnings that it would target any successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the Israeli Foreign Ministry formally condemned Mojtaba Khamenei’s appointment.

Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged unwavering support for Tehran and described Russia as a reliable partner of Iran. China expressed opposition to any targeting of the new Supreme Leader. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani congratulated Mojtaba Khamenei and reaffirmed Iraq’s solidarity with Iran while calling for a halt to military operations against Iranian sovereignty. Within Iran, President Masoud Pezeshkian described the appointment as the beginning of a new era of dignity and strength. A statement made by Pezeshkian on Wednesday, suggesting Iran would consider ending the war if certain conditions were met, appeared to stand in contrast with the uncompromising tone of Mojtaba Khamenei’s statement.

What is the broader humanitarian situation in Iran, Lebanon, and across the region as the US-Israeli war enters its 13th day?

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported that as many as 3.2 million people have been displaced within Iran since the conflict began on 28 February 2026, describing the figure as a preliminary assessment that is expected to continue rising as hostilities persist. In Lebanon, where Israel has conducted strikes and issued wide evacuation warnings in the course of operations against the Iran-aligned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, more than 820,000 people have been displaced, according to Lebanon’s disaster management office. The Pentagon reported that seven United States soldiers have been killed and eight seriously wounded, primarily as a result of attacks on United States military bases in countries neighbouring Iran. Iranian and Lebanese health authorities and Israeli officials reported more than 1,300 people killed in Iran and 687 in Lebanon, with 12 killed in Israel.

Attacks on commercial shipping extended on Thursday to Iraq’s territorial waters, where two foreign tankers carrying Iraqi fuel oil were damaged after being struck by unidentified forces near Basra. The expansion of attacks into Iraqi waters represented a further escalation of the maritime dimension of the conflict. Iran’s statement attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei offered no indication that such attacks would cease and reiterated that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would remain Iran’s primary strategic lever in the conflict.

Key takeaways on what Iran’s first supreme leader statement means for the war, global energy markets, and regional geopolitics

• Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first public statement on 13 March 2026, broadcast on Iranian state television as a written message read by a presenter, with no video or audio of the new supreme leader released. Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen publicly since the conflict began.
• Mojtaba Khamenei declared the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would continue as a tool of pressure against the United States and Israel, compounding one of the largest oil supply disruptions in recent decades and prompting the International Energy Agency to release 400 million barrels from strategic reserves.
• The statement vowed revenge for all Iranians killed in the conflict, declared that United States military bases in the Middle East would be attacked if not closed, and indicated that Iran is studying the opening of new military fronts against adversaries assessed to have little experience in those areas.
• Mojtaba Khamenei expressed support for Iran’s regional allied groups, including the Houthi movement in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and armed factions in Iraq, describing the resistance front as inseparable from the values of the Islamic Revolution.
• The statement offered no ceasefire proposal, no diplomatic off-ramp, and no indication of conditions under which Iran would consider ending the conflict, placing it in direct contrast to signals from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier in the week.