Iran’s new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has delivered his first speech since being named supreme leader of the Islamic Republic, amid a tense Middle East war.
In a speech broadcast on state television on Thursday, Mojtaba Khamenei called on Iranians to show national unity, saying his country would continue its fight against its enemies.
Mojtaba Khamenei took office after his father, former Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other members of his family were killed in a joint US-Israeli airstrike at the start of the current war in the region.
The new leader said Iran would continue to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil trade routes, to put pressure on the enemy.
He also threatened that all US bases in the Middle East must be closed immediately, or they would become targets for attacks. “We want to be friends with our neighbors, but attacks on US bases in the region will continue,” said Mojtaba Khamenei.
Continuing, Khamenei said that Iran-backed armed movements in the region would take part in the fight. He noted that Yemen’s Houthi forces “will fulfill their duty,” while armed groups in Iraq also “will seek to help the Islamic revolution.”
Meanwhile, the new leader thanked Iran’s military, praising them for defending the country in the face of external pressure and attacks. “I thank the brave fighters who are doing a great job in the face of our country’s pressure and attacks,” he said, vowing that Iran will not back down from the fight.
