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Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei declared on Monday that the United States will ultimately be forced out of the Middle East after taking “painful blows” from Iranian forces, according to a statement released by state television.
Speaking via a written address for the first time since the war began in late February, Khamenei delivered the stern warning even as regional powers attempt to revive diplomatic negotiations aimed at halting the conflict.
Reflecting on recent maritime clashes, Khamenei praised Iranian forces guarding critical waterways.
“Today, having suffered painful blows at the hands of valiant fighters and the guardians of the Strait of Hormuz, they do not venture beyond the Arabian Sea,” Khamenei wrote, adding, “Whenever they have braved this risk, they have only brought harm upon themselves. It will not be long before the Arabian Sea, too, will rid itself of their presence.”
The sharp rhetoric underlines the intense struggle between Washington and Tehran for control over the Strait of Hormuz, a key choke point that handled roughly 20 per cent of global oil and gas shipments before the war.
The crisis escalated after Tehran blocked the strait following initial US-Israeli military strikes in February, prompting Washington to retaliate with a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
