New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has said Iran should continue ‘blocking the Strait of Hormuz’ in his first statement since his election, read out on Iranian State television on Thursday (12 March).
Khamenei, who is still yet to appear in public, told Iranians, "we will not forgo revenge for the blood of your martyrs” who have been killed in the conflict with the U.S. and Israel in the statement, which was read out by a presenter.
The price of oil rose to over $100 a barrel on Thursday as attacks on sea traffic in the Strait of Hormuz escalated. At least six ships have now been targeted in the vital sea passage, which lies between the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
In the statement, Khamenei also demanded the U.S. close its regional military bases, which have been used to launch attacks on Iran.
“I advise that they shut down 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 but a lie,” he said.
Khamenei said Tehran would continue striking American bases in the region, while striving to avoid hitting the nations hosting such bases.
But he added: "These countries must clarify their stance regarding the aggressors against our dear homeland and the murderers of our people."
The statement began with a tribute to his father, former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israel airstrikes on 28 February.
"I had the privilege to visit his body after his martyrdom. What I saw was a mountain of solidity, and I heard that his remaining sound fist was clenched,” Khamenei said.
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The 56-year-old added that he found out about his appointment as new Supreme Leader by the Assembly of Experts at the same time as the public via television.
Following in the footsteps of his father Khamenei and Iran’s first Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini was a "difficult task," he added.
But Khamenei said he was inspired by the resolve the Iranian people had shown in the days after his father’s death. The Iranian people had shown “steadfastness, bravery, and presence,” during the period when Iran was without a leader, he said.
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At least 64 people have been killed in southern Ethiopia following recent landslides and floods, the regional government’s communications office said on Thursday (12 March), citing local police
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was warned about the "reputational risks" of appointing Peter Mandelson as U.S. Ambassador due to his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein, files released on Wednesday (11 March) show.
The prevailing security situation in the region has done little to deter entrepreneurs from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) who continue to view Dubai as a premier and safe location for business.
The 32 countries belonging to the Internatioanl Energy Agency agreed to release 400 million barrels of oil on Wednesday (11 March), in efforts aimed at bringing down the price of crude oil, which has soared since fighting between Iran, Israel and the U.S. started at the end of February.
Iran should continue ‘blocking the Strait of Hormuz’, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said in his first speech since being elected on Thursday. His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television. Khamenei has still yet to be seen in public since his election.
A towering lava fountain from Kilauea shot about 400 metres into the air late on Tuesday (11 March) on Hawaii Island, prompting temporary closures at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and part of a key highway as volcanic ash and debris fell over nearby areas.
Norwegian police apprehended three brothers suspected of carrying out Sunday's (8 March) bombing at the U.S. embassy in Oslo, in an attack investigators have branded an act of terrorism.
More than 68,000 children in eastern Afghanistan have been displaced after clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces intensified along the border, according to a new report by Save the Children.
Fifteen Turkish-owned vessels remain stranded in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Wednesday.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has set recognition of Tehran’s inalienable rights, payment of war compensation, and international guarantees against any future invasion as conditions for ending the U.S.–Israel war with the Islamic Republic.
Iran should continue ‘blocking the Strait of Hormuz’, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said in his first speech since being elected on Thursday. His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television. Khamenei has still yet to be seen in public since his election.
The new constitution of Armenia must not contain any reference to the Declaration of Independence, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday (12 March), according to Armenian media reports.
Residents of the village of Kurseb in western Georgia have been evacuated to safety after a landslide struck the area. Emergency crews were dispatched to the scene and authorities closed a key road as a precaution.
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