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Iran's new supreme leader vows to keep blocking Strait of Hormuz in first statement
Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to maintain closure of the Strait of Hormuz and continue attacks on Gulf neighbors to pressure the U.S. and Israel amid escalating conflict.
- On March 12, 2026, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, vowed to keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and demanded U.S. military bases in the Middle East close, threatening attacks in his first public statement read on state television.
- Following the Feb. 28 strikes, Khamenei was appointed on March 9 after his father was killed in U.S.-Israeli air strikes that started the conflict.
- Citing retaliation, Khamenei said 'Iran will not refrain from avenging the blood of its martyrs,' and vowed to seek compensation or seize enemy property if refused.
- Markets reacted as Brent crude oil rose 9% to more than $100 a barrel, and Iraq halted operations at all its oil terminals after a Basra port attack.
- The U.N. refugee agency says up to 3.2 million people have been displaced in Iran and at least 759,000 in Lebanon, amid ongoing regional conflict, while sirens blared after midnight in Jerusalem and Iran-backed Hezbollah launched some 200 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel.
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Iran's new Supreme Leader warns of 'opening other fronts' in first statement from hiding
Iran’s secretive new supreme leader on Thursday vowed to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz as leverage against the United States and Israel. It was his first public statement since being chosen to succeed his father, who was killed in an Israeli strike. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who Israel suspects was wounded in the opening salvo of the war, has not appear…
·New York, United States
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The Latest: Iran escalates attacks as new leader vows to keep fighting
Iran’s new supreme leader vowed to keep attacking the country's Gulf Arab neighbors and using its threat of closing the Strait of Hormuz as leverage. On Thursday, an anchor on Iranian state TV read Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's first statement since…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources268
Leaning Left49Leaning Right45Center70Last UpdatedBias Distribution43% Center
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
43% Center
L 30%
C 43%
R 27%
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