Iran’s new Supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei has issued his first message, calling for unity among the Iranian people and warning that the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route, will remain closed as a “tool of pressure.”
In a statement read by an anchor on state television, Khamenei said that that the “lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz” should still be used by Iran.
In the message, Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Tehran believes in “friendship” with its neighbors, stressing that his country is targeting only US bases in these countries.
He advised the neighbouring countries to close American bases, which he says Iran will continue to target. He recommended that they close their US bases “as soon as possible.”
“We have had good relationship with all these 15 neighboring countries. … We only targeted these military bases (and) we will continue, we will have to continue and do so.”
“These countries must make their duty clear to the invaders of our beloved homeland and the murderers of our people.”
Mojtaba Khamenei
Also, Mojtaba Khamenei stated that Iran will not hesitate to “avenge the blood of Iranians” who have been killed, iterating that Iran will continue fighting to avenge the blood of all its martyrs, from the slain former Supreme Leader to the children killed in attacks.
He said that this is especially true in the case in Minab, where a US strike near a school killed 168 people, including around 110 children.
Mojtaba Khamenei was named as Iran’s new Supreme Leader on March 8, 2026. He’s the successor to his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war with the US and Iran, on 28 February.
Since his appointment, he has not been spotted on state TV, and his message was read aloud by the presenter.
Mojtaba is the second son of Ali Khamenei and, although he had long been regarded as one of the frontrunners to succeed him, he has kept a low profile and has been seen as exercising influence from behind the scenes.
In addition to his father, Mojtaba Khamenei’s mother and wife were also killed in the US-Israeli strikes.
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei warned the US and Israel that they must pay “compensation” for their actions. Iran’s new Supreme Leader did not mention the two countries by name, only referring to them as “the enemy.”
“We will ask for compensation from the enemy. If we can’t get compensation from the enemy, we will destroy their properties as much as they have destroyed ours,”
Mojtaba Khamenei
He noted that members of Iran’s military deserve thanks for preventing the country from being dominated or divided, and for making the sacrifices they have made.
He added that plans are being made for financial and other support for those harmed in the war, saying that Iranians must have solidarity and overcome their differences.
New Supreme Leader Signals Doubling-down On Iran’s Established Positions
Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at King’s College London, opined that the first public statement from Iran’s new Supreme Leader represents a doubling-down on Iran’s established positions.
He told a news agency that the message amounted to “very much the repetition of the standard Iranian lines.”
He stated that the key messaging was “that they don’t have any conflict with the GCC states whilst they’re also striking them; they don’t want to back down; the Straits of Hormuz stays closed; and US bases in the region have to go.”
He said that “rather than what the Trump administration might have been hoping for – a kind of change in rhetoric from the new Supreme Leader – what we’re actually hearing here is more of the same.”
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