The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has delivered a harsh message to the United States, asserting that American presence in the Persian Gulf no longer has a place in the region. He warned that Tehran will eliminate what he called “the enemy’s abuses” from the Strait of Hormuz.
The declaration represents the first public appearance of the leader from Tehran after a prolonged period of silence.
“A new chapter opens for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” Khamenei conveyed in a message published on social networks.
In the statement read by a state television presenter, the Iranian leader argued that the “new leadership” of Tehran over the Strait of Hormuz will bring “calm, progress and economic benefits for all nations in the region”.
At the same time, he launched a direct attack against Washington.
“Foreigners who look upon this area with ill intent from thousands of kilometers away have no place here, except at the bottom of its waters,” the Ayatollah affirmed.