1 of 2 | Iranians gather on Revolution Street in Tehran to show support for Mojtaba Khamenei, the new Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Monday. Photo by Hossein Esmaeili/UPI | License Photo
Mojtaba Khamenei shared his first message since being named Iran’s new supreme leader Thursday, saying in a statement that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed.
Khamenei said the strait must remain closed as a tactic to pressure Iran’s enemies, in a statement read on Iran’s state television. He added that attacks on U.S. military bases in the Middle East will continue.
Khamenei ascended to the position of supreme leader after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in the first round of U.S. military strikes on Iran on Feb. 28. Mojtaba Khamenei was also wounded in the bombings.
The oil industry has watched the Strait of Hormuz closely since the beginning of the war. Oil prices have continued to fluctuate in response to statements from U.S. officials and news of Iranian attacks on the strait.
Crude oil is again approaching $100 per barrel on Thursday. Iran warned Wednesday that it could reach $200 per barrel after it attacked three shipping vessels in the Persian Gulf.
Iran has sought to close the strait, a critical oil trade route, since it was attacked 13 days ago.
About 25% of the world’s seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.
President Donald Trump disputed that there is trouble in the Strait of Hormuz Wednesday, telling reporters it is in “great shape.”
“The straits are in great shape,” Trump said at Joint Base Andrews. “We’ve knocked out all of their boats. They have some missiles but not very many. I think we’re in very good — we’re in very good shape.”
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it will not allow “even a single liter of oil” to be transported through the strait while the United States and Israel continue strikes on Iran.
Iran: Funerals held for those killed in airstrikes
Iranians attend a funeral for a person killed in recent U.S.-Israel airstrikes at Behesht-e Zahra cemetery on the southern outskirts of Tehran in Iran on March 9, 2026. Photo by Hossein Esmaeili/UPI | License Photo
