In his first statement since his appointment as the country’s new supreme leader, Khamenei said the Strait of Hormuz should remain shut
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenAgence France-PressePublished: 10:05pm, 12 Mar 2026Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday called on regional countries to shut down any US bases that they host.
“I recommend that they close those bases as soon as possible, because they must have realised by now that the claim of establishing security and peace by America was nothing more than a lie,” Khamenei said.
Khamenei’s first statement since his appointment was read on state television on Thursday by a news anchor.
He also said that his country’s forces must keep the strategic Strait of Hormuz closed.
“The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used,” Khamenei said of the waterway through which vast amounts of oil and gas are usually shipped.
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Oil tankers set ablaze by Iranian drones as shipping vessels targeted in Middle East warMeanwhile, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday that up to 3.2 million people have been displaced inside Iran since the Middle East war erupted.
