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Iran’s new supposed Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has released an alleged statement this week threatening to squeeze the Strait of Hormuz amid rising oil prices around the world.
The statement, aired on Iranian television, was rebroadcast on major networks Thursday morning.
“We believe in friendship with neighbors and only target the bases, and we will inevitably continue,” the statement read, according to Fox News, via translated state media reports. “…All U.S. bases should immediately be closed in the region, and those bases will be attacked.”
Khamenei’s statement also included a threat about the Strait of Hormuz, noting that its closure was a tool to “pressure the enemy.”
Earlier this week, reports emerged that this new Khamenei was potentially wounded in air attacks, but when asked about the newly tapped leader of Iran’s condition, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Tuesday declined to provide further information. Rumors surfaced on social media on Thursday that Khamenei was possibly in a coma, drawing speculation about the authenticity of the supreme leader’s alleged statement.
According to odds from Polymarket, “many believe” the Iranian regime is being run by a “ghost ayatollah,” due to alleged reports that Khamenei has not been seen in public for days. It remains nearly impossible to confirm the condition of Khamenei amid swirling Iranian narratives, conflicting reports and claims online.
Nevertheless, the Strait of Hormuz, referenced in the supposed statement, remains an integral transport route for roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply, making it a key chokepoint in the Middle East.
The conflict with Iran has rocked and roiled the oil markets, especially amid the Strait of Hormuz’s unsafe conditions. President Trump said on Wednesday that the U.S. military had “hit” 28 Iranian mine ships in the strait, but it’s unclear how long it will take to completely reopen the area.
“The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money,” President Trump stated on Thursday on Truth Social. “BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stoping [sic] an evil Empire, Iran, from having Nuclear Weapons, and destroying the Middle East and, indeed, the World. I won’t ever let that happen!”
The president confirmed this week that he intends to release 172 million barrels of oil from the United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve to temporarily keep the energy prices down, as reported by RSBN.
