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Iran will fight on and keep the Strait of Hormuz shut, new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on March 12, in his first remarks since he succeeded his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in the opening strikes of the American-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic.
In a statement read out on state television, Mojtaba said that neighboring countries should close all United States bases on their territory, or Iran would continue to attack.
“I assure everyone that we will not neglect avenging the blood of your martyrs,” the supreme leader said.
“The popular demand is to continue our effective defense and make the enemy regret! The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must continue to be used,” he added.
The Strait of Hormuz is the world’s most critical maritime chokepoint, with roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption passing through. The waterway serves as the primary gateway for energy exports from major producers like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Kuwait.
Iranian officials reported earlier that Mojtaba was lightly wounded in the war’s opening strike. He confirmed in his statement that his wife, sister and other family members were killed along with his father.
Shortly after his address, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that, in keeping with his orders, they would keep the Strait of Hormuz shut.
A day earlier, three other ships were struck in the Persian Gulf close to the waterway. The IRGC claimed responsibility for at least two attacks, one of which set a Thai bulk carrier ablaze close to Oman. Three of the ship’s crew were reported missing after the attack.
Two tankers were also set ablaze near Iraq’s southern port of Basra overnight, forcing a pause of operations at the country’s oil terminals.
Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported that the IRGC struck one of the two ships — a U.S. -owned vessel, the Safesea Vishnu — because it had ignored warnings and failed to comply with orders. Indian authorities earlier said that the Safesea Vishnu, which sails under the Marshall Islands flag, was attacked by an unmanned speed boat.
A second vessel, Greek-owned and Maltese-flagged Zefyros, was struck while it was in the middle of a ship-to-ship transfer with the Safesea Vishnu, the vessel’s manager Benetech Shipping said.
The Iraqi News Agency, citing a military official, reported after the attack that 38 crew members were rescued and one person died.
Later in the morning, a Chinese-owned container ship off the coast of the United Arab Emirates was “struck by an unknown projectile causing a small fire onboard”, according to the United Kingdom’s Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) centre.
As a result of these Iranian attacks, oil prices climbed on March 12, reaching over $100 per barrel. This happened despite the International Energy Agency agreeing to release a record 400 million barrels of oil. The IRGC has already warned that oil could reach $200 per barrel.
“Get ready for oil to be $200 a barrel, because the oil price depends on regional security, which you have destabilized,” Ebrahim Zolfaqari, a spokesperson for the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, told Reuters.
Iran’s new supreme leader clearly views the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz as a way to increase the economic cost of the war on the U.S. and its allies. Without a direct and costly naval intervention, the U.S. military will not likely be able to challenge the Islamic Republic’s grip on the waterway.
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