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Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says Strait of Hormuz should remain shut

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urges keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed and warns that U.S. bases in the region would face attacks.

Reuters

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March 12, 2026

Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says Strait of Hormuz should remain shut

FILE PHOTO: Tankers sail in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, March 11, 2026.

Reuters

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Thursday the Strait of Hormuz should remain closed as a tool of pressure.


In a message read out by a state TV broadcaster, the first the new supreme leader has issued since he was appointed to succeed his slain father, Mojtaba said all U.S. bases in the region should be closed as they would be attacked.


-Reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Elwelly Elwelly, Writing by Nayera Abdallah, Editing by Timothy Heritage/Reuters

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