Iran’s newly proclaimed supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has vowed to avenge those killed since the outbreak of war with the United States and Israel, according to a statement read on state television yesterday.
The remarks, delivered by a presenter rather than by Khamenei himself, were described by Iranian state media as his first public message since he was declared leader of the Islamic Republic on Sunday following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei.
“I assure everyone that we will not neglect avenging the blood of your martyrs,” Khamenei said in the statement addressed to the Iranian people.
The 56-year-old leader has not appeared publicly since assuming power. Iranian officials have suggested he sustained minor injuries during the ongoing conflict, though state television offered no explanation for why the statement was not delivered through a video or audio address.
According to the statement, Iran has already begun retaliatory actions but considers further revenge a continuing priority. “A limited amount of this revenge has so far taken concrete form, but until it is fully achieved, this case will remain among our priorities,” Khamenei said.
He added that Iran would seek compensation from its adversaries for the damage caused during the war.
“We will seek compensation from the enemy, and if they refuse, we will take as much of their property as we determine, and if that is not possible, we will destroy the same amount of their property,” the statement said.
Iran’s health ministry said on March 8 that more than 1,200 people had been killed in the conflict, with over 10,000 civilians injured. The war erupted on February 28 when Israeli forces killed Ali Khamenei in an airstrike during the opening phase of joint U.S.–Israeli attacks on Iran, sparking a conflict that has since spread across parts of the Middle East.
Iran has responded with waves of drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and U.S. interests in the region and has effectively shut down the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping route through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply passes.
In his statement, Mojtaba Khamenei also called on neighboring countries to shut down American military bases on their soil, warning that Iranian forces would continue to target such facilities.
“The claim of establishing security and peace by America was nothing more than a lie,” the statement said.
Khamenei further urged continued use of what he described as the “lever” of blocking the Strait of Hormuz. “The popular demand is to continue our effective defense and make the enemy regret. The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used,” he said.
The message also expressed gratitude to Iran’s regional allies, including Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, and allied armed groups in Iraq. “We consider the countries of the Resistance Front our best friends, and the cause of resistance and the Resistance Front are an inseparable part of the values of the Islamic Revolution,” the statement added.
Shortly after the message was broadcast, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced it had launched strikes against Israeli targets and U.S. bases in tribute to Khamenei and his family, and pledged to maintain the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Meanwhile, two oil tankers were reported ablaze at an Iraqi port yesterday after being struck by suspected Iranian explosive-laden boats, signaling an escalation in attacks that have disrupted Middle Eastern oil exports.
The incidents also appeared to challenge comments by Donald Trump, who said on Wednesday that the United States had already won the war.
By: Madeline Moore