Iran has declared it will oversee a “future free of America” in a statement said to be from the Iranian supreme leader, as he threatened to send US “aliens” to the “depths of the waters” of the Persian Gulf.
Mojtaba Khamenei, who is the son of late supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is believed by the US to be severely injured and is reportedly passing on messages from a hospital bed, via top security officials.
“By divine will, the future of the Persian Gulf will be bright, a future free of America, devoted to progress, peace, and prosperity for its nations,” the statement read.
“Those aliens who, from thousands of kilometers away, greedily sow mischief in that [the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman], have no place there except in the depths of its waters,” it added.
The statement said that a new chapter for the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz has been taking shape since Iran’s war with the United States and Israel broke out on 28 February.
Tehran, it read, would secure the Gulf region and eliminate what he described as “the enemy’s abuses of the waterway”.
The supreme leader, who has not been seen since the start of the war, added that new management of the Strait of Hormuz would bring calm, progress and economic benefits to all Gulf nations.
“This strategic asset has long provoked the greed of many evildoers over the centuries,” the message added.
“The record of repeated invasions by European and American foreigners – the insecurities, damages, and multiple threats they have imposed on the region’s countries – reflects only a fraction of the malicious schemes of global oppressors against the peoples of the Persian Gulf.”
Negotiators from Washington and Tehran have been unable to come to an agreement on the future of the Strait of Hormuz, which is currently being blockaded by Iranian forces, with the US navy’s own blockade stationed in the neighbouring Gulf of Oman.
Mediation efforts by Pakistan and Oman have failed to bring delegations back to the table, since the failure of talks earlier this month.
An Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, end the war, but postpone talks on the country’s nuclear programme, was met with little enthusiasm in the US. Donald Trump has for months stated the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear programme is a key goal for Washington.
The Islamic Republic will protect its “nuclear and missile capabilities” as a national asset, even as Mr Trump tries to get a deal on those issues, the statement said.
Exactly how much control Mr Khamenei has over the talks is unclear. He is reported to be delegating significant responsibility to army generals in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Mr Khamenei has not been seen or heard since he was appointed to the role in March. Four senior Iranian officials who are familiar with the ayatollah’s health told The New York Times that the 56-year-old is gravely wounded, but that he is nonetheless mentally healthy.
Abdolreza Davari, a politician in Tehran who knows Mr Khamenei, told the outlet that the 56-year-old is currently “managing the country as though he is the director of the board”, adding that he “relies heavily on the advice and guidance of the board members, and they collectively make all the decisions”.
