News Desk
TEHRAN: Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned on Saturday that Tehran’s navy was ready to defeat US and Israeli forces, as tensions escalated again over the Strait of Hormuz.
In a series of posts on X, Khamenei said: “In the same way that the drones of Iran’s Army strike the US and the Zionist murderers like lightning, its valiant navy is also ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies.” His remarks came as Iran said it was tightening control over the strait, warning mariners that the key energy lifeline had again been closed, while shipping sources said at least two vessels came under fire while attempting to transit the waterway.
The Iranian supreme leader said the armed forces were standing alongside their comrades from other branches of the military, battling what he described as the two leading armies of “disbelief and arrogance”. He added that the “Islamic Army” had exposed the weakness and humiliation of those forces to the world.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army is now courageously defending the land, water, and flag that belong to it,” he said. Tehran’s renewed hardline messaging has injected fresh uncertainty into the conflict, increasing the risk that oil and gas shipments through the strait could remain disrupted just as Washington weighs whether to extend the fragile ceasefire.
Donald Trump said the US was holding “very good conversations” with Iran but claimed Tehran wanted to close the strait again, adding that Iran could not blackmail the United States. Maritime security and shipping sources said some merchant vessels had received radio messages from Iran’s navy stating that no ships were permitted to pass through the waterway, reversing earlier signs that traffic might resume.
