Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, issued a fiery first public statement Thursday, vowing to keep blocking the vital Strait of Hormuz oil trade route and attacking neighboring countries that host U.S. military bases.
The written statement was one of defiance, even as President Donald Trump indicates that he would like to wrap up the conflict soon as global energy markets face an economic shock from the strait’s closure.
The health and current whereabouts of the new leader, 56, are still both unclear, after Iranian state TV previously indicated he had been wounded in the wave of U.S. and Israeli strikes that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, 86, and several of their relatives.
Even on Thursday, state TV offered no explanation for why Khamenei did not appear in person, with only a written statement attributed to him read out by an announcer.
Israel has previously indicated it would target anyone appointed
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