Mojtaba Khamenei Vows to Eliminate 'Enemy's Abuses' of Strait of Hormuz and Guard Nuclear Program

Key facts

• Mojtaba Khamenei became supreme leader in early March after his father's death on 28 February.
• The US has mounted a counter-blockade since 13 April to stop oil tankers moving in or out of Iranian ports.
• Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has fallen to as low as three ships a day, compared with 120–140 normally.
• Oil prices have risen above $120 a barrel, approaching $125 after Trump admitted no short-term solution.
• About one-fifth of global oil typically transits the Strait of Hormuz.
• Khamenei vowed to guard Iran's nuclear, missile, nano, and bio capabilities as 'national capital'.
• No recording or visual sighting of Khamenei has been broadcast since his appointment; reports say he was injured in the 28 February bombing.
• Pakistan-mediated talks to resolve the blockade are at an impasse.

A New Chapter for the Persian Gulf

Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has broken his recent silence with a defiant statement asserting Tehran's control over the Strait of Hormuz and vowing to protect the country's nuclear and missile programs. The statement, read by a state television anchor to mark Persian Gulf Day, declares that 'a new chapter is unfolding for the Persian Gulf and the strait of Hormuz' two months after what Khamenei described as the largest military deployment and aggression by 'the world's bullies' in the region. Khamenei said Tehran would 'eliminate the enemy's abuses of the waterway' and implement 'new management of the strait' that would bring comfort and progress for all regional nations. The statement also pledged to guard Iran's 'modern technological capacities – from nano to bio to nuclear and missile – as their national capital' with the same vigilance as its maritime, land, and air borders. The address comes amid a deepening crisis in the strait, a narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of global oil normally passes. Since 13 April, the United States has enforced a counter-blockade aimed at halting oil tanker movements to and from Iranian ports, effectively seizing up Iran's oil industry.

Khamenei's First Major Statement Since Taking Power

Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed supreme leader in early March following the death of his 86-year-old father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a bombing on 28 February. Since then, no recording or visual sighting of the new leader has been broadcast, and reports have suggested he was severely injured in the same attack and is being treated in hospital. His statement on Persian Gulf Day is his first major public communication since assuming office, and it signals Iran's determination to assert regional sovereignty through a new fees regime for the strait. The regime is presented as benefiting the entire region, but analysts see it as a belated attempt to extract a price for what Iran considers an attack on its sovereignty. 'Foreigners who maliciously covet it from thousands of kilometres away have no place there except at the bottom of its waters,' Khamenei's statement declared, underscoring Tehran's uncompromising stance.

US Counter-Blockade and Economic Fallout

The US counter-blockade, launched on 13 April, has drastically reduced vessel traffic through the strait. In normal conditions, 120 to 140 ships transit daily; now traffic sometimes falls to as low as three ships per day. The blockade has cut off Iranian oil exports, while also pressuring US allies in the Gulf who rely on the waterway to export their own oil and gas. The standoff has sent oil prices soaring above $120 a barrel, with prices approaching $125 after President Donald Trump admitted on Wednesday that he saw no short-term way out of the impasse. That level matches the highs seen during the first weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The economic pressure is particularly acute for Trump ahead of crucial midterm elections, as rising petrol prices fuel domestic discontent. His Gulf allies, too, face mounting costs as their energy exports are disrupted.

Diplomatic Impasse and No End in Sight

Pakistan-mediated talks between the parties have reached an impasse, with neither side showing willingness to lift its blockade. The lack of progress leaves the strait's closure in place, sustaining the upward pressure on global energy markets. Khamenei's statement offers no hint of compromise. Instead, it frames the new management of the strait as a permanent assertion of Iranian control, suggesting that Tehran intends to maintain its grip on the waterway regardless of international pressure. The combination of a determined new leader, a US administration with limited options, and stalled diplomacy suggests the crisis will persist, with oil prices likely to remain elevated. The strait's fate now hinges on whether either side can find a face-saving exit or whether the standoff escalates further.

The bottom line

• Mojtaba Khamenei's first major statement as supreme leader vows to eliminate 'enemy abuses' of the Strait of Hormuz and protect Iran's nuclear and missile programs.
• The US counter-blockade since 13 April has slashed vessel traffic from 120–140 ships per day to as low as three, crippling Iranian oil exports.
• Oil prices have surged above $120 a barrel, nearing $125, after Trump admitted no short-term solution, matching highs from the Ukraine war.
• Pakistan-mediated talks are at an impasse, with no sign of either blockade being lifted.
• Khamenei's statement signals a new fees regime for the strait, presented as benefiting the region but effectively asserting Iranian control.
• The crisis puts political pressure on Trump ahead of midterm elections and on Gulf allies reliant on the waterway for energy exports.