Iran’s supreme leader claimed Thursday that the U.S. has suffered a "disgraceful defeat" and Tehran will safeguard its nuclear and missile capabilities as a “national asset."
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, speaking in a written statement read by a state television anchor, as he has since taking over as Iran's supreme leader, struck a defiant tone, insisting the only place Americans belonged in the Persian Gulf is "at the bottom of its waters."
"Today, two months after the largest military deployment and aggression by the world's bullies in the region, and the United States' disgraceful defeat in its plans, a new chapter is unfolding for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz," said Khamenei.
However, his remarks come as Iran's oil industry has begun to be squeezed by a U.S. Navy blockade halting its oil tankers from getting out to sea. Meanwhile, benchmark Brent crude for June delivery reached as much as $126 a barrel in trading Thursday as Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all crude oil and natural gas traded passes.
All this is putting additional pressure on the world's economy as Trump likely weighs how to respond.
