Mojtaba Khamenei Orders Iranian Forces to Keep Strait of Hormuz Closed

Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has ordered his forces to maintain closure of the Strait of Hormuz. He has demanded that his ranks seriously enforce the blockade against passing vessels.

According to AFP on Thursday, 12 March 2026, this statement was made by Mojtaba Khamenei following several days out of the public eye, reportedly due to injuries sustained in an air strike. He delivered his statement with firmness.

“The leverage for blocking the Strait of Hormuz must truly be used,” said Khamenei regarding the waterway through which approximately one-quarter of global maritime oil trade typically passes.

Moreover, Mojtaba Khamenei, whose father and predecessor Ali Khamenei died in the initial wave of US-Israeli strikes at the beginning of the war, has called for retaliation. He has demanded that Gulf states close their US military bases.

“I swear to avenge the blood of our children and grandchildren,” he stated firmly.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guards subsequently responded to Mojtaba’s statement. Naval Force Commander Alireza Tangsiri confirmed he would deliver a severe blow to the US and Israel whilst maintaining the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“In response to the Supreme Commander’s order, we will deliver the hardest blow to the aggressor enemy whilst maintaining the strategy of closing the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

For context, under Iranian strikes, shipping around the Strait of Hormuz nearly halted for several days. Several vessels attempting to pass became targets in the gulf off the coasts of the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.

Trump faces severe political pressure as global economic impacts of the crisis intensify, and he has repeatedly given mixed messages about when the US air campaign might end.

As oil prices surged above $100 per barrel, Trump wrote on social media that “what is far more significant and important to me, as President, is to prevent the evil empire, Iran, from possessing nuclear weapons, and to prevent the destruction of the Middle East and, indeed, the world.”