In his first public comments since becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday asked neighbouring Arab countries to shut U.S. bases “as soon as possible”, demanded reparations for the material losses during the war and vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz “closed”.
“We will exact reparations from the enemy, and if it refuses, we will seize from its assets as much as we deem necessary; and if that too proves impossible, we will destroy an equivalent portion of its assets,” said Mr. Khamenei, whose father, the former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated on February 28 by an Israeli-American joint strike.
Also read: West Asia war updates on March 12, 2026
Pledging to avenge “the blood of the martyrs”, the 56-year-old cleric said the “effective and regret-inducing defence” by the Iranian armed forces would continue. “Furthermore, the leverage of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must certainly continue to be used,” he said, referring to the critical maritime chokepoint connecting the Persian Gulf with the Arabia Sea through which roughly 20% to 34% of world’s oil passes through.
The number of ships passing through the Strait has come down to single digits in recent days as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has targeted cargo vessels in the Gulf waters. There were also reports that the Strait is being mined by the Guards.
