Strait of Hormuz blockade should continue says Iran's new Supreme Leader: Middle East conflict on 12 March
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U....
Iran should continue “blocking the Strait of Hormuz,” while the U.S. should “shut” its Middle East military bases, new Iranian Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Thursday in his first speech since being elected. He is still yet to appear in public, and a broadcaster read out his words.
Four days after Mojtaba Khamenei was announced as Iran’s new Supreme Leader, the 56-year-old son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei finally broke his silence. In a written statement that was read out on Iranian state television, Khamenei gave his backing to the continued blocking of the Strait of Hormuz and demanded the U.S. close its regional military bases.
Khamenei also paid tribute to his father who was killed in U.S.-Israeli air strikes on February 28, as well as Iranians who have died in fighting since. “We will not forgo revenge for the blood of your martyrs,” he said.
At least five ships have now been targeted in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran persists in its attempt to stop marine traffic moving through the sea passage.
Boats with explosives, believed to be Iranian, attacked two fuel tankers in Iraqi waters on Wednesday (11 March), killing one crew member. Meanwhile, Türkiye said on Thursday that 15 vessels from the country remained stranded in the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran’s Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali announced on Wednesday that the Iranian men’s football team would be withdrawing from the tournament set to take place in the U.S., as well as Canada and Mexico, later this year.
Speaking on state television, Donyamali said the U.S.’s assassination of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei meant Iran could “under no circumstances” participate in the FIFA event.
Global internet monitoring organisation NetBlocks said that Iran’s internet shutdown had entered its 13th day. The London-based independent digital rights watchdog said the blackout was one of the longest ever recorded.
Citibank announced it was closing branches in the United Arab Emirates until 14 March as a precautionary measure on Thursday.
Bloomberg meanwhile has told staff based in the Gulf, including its regional headquarters in Dubai, that they can temporarily relocate and work elsewhere.
Iran has repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks on the Gulf states since the U.S. and Israel first struck Tehran 13 days ago.
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.
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday (12 March). His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television.
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.
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.
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.
International security and climate change are top of the agenda as leaders and policymakers from around the world meet at the 13th Global Baku Forum in the Azerbaijani capital this week.
Fifteen Turkish-owned vessels remain stranded in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz, Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said on Wednesday.
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).
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.
The U.S. should shut down its military bases in the Middle East, Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday (12 March). His words were read out by a broadcaster on state Iranian television.
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