Mojtaba Khamenei: Iran's Victory Stuns the World

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TEHERAN – Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has claimed a “decisive victory” in the war with Israel and the United States. Khamenei stated in a declaration on Thursday that, during the war, Iran had “stunned the world”. Marking 40 days since his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was martyred in a US-Israeli attack on the first day of the war, Khamenei reaffirmed Iran’s demands following the ceasefire. Khamenei (58 years old), who has not been seen or heard from since the war began, said in a statement read on television that Tehran had no intention of going to war but was defending its legitimate rights. “We certainly will not allow the criminal perpetrators who attacked our country to go unpunished,” he said, adding that Iran would “demand compensation for all damages, as well as the blood of the martyrs and the wounded victims”. Regarding the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively blockaded since the war broke out on 28 February and which has become a key point in US-Iran proposals to end the war, Khamenei said that his country would move towards a “new phase” without providing further details. On Wednesday, the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire in a deal mediated by Pakistan to allow negotiations to take place, after attacks on Gulf states and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz raised concerns about a longer conflict whose impacts would be felt long after it ended. As part of the ceasefire, Iran agreed to allow the passage of goods through the vital waterway, and there are reports that Tehran will impose fees on ships transiting the strait to fund the country’s reconstruction efforts.