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Iran’s new supreme leader gave a rare statement on Thursday, vowing not to give up the country’s nuclear or missile technologies and signaling Tehran would keep control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The Islamic Republic will “guard” its “advanced technologies” like it does its own borders, Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written statement. It will “secure the Persian Gulf region and dismantle the hostile enemy’s exploitation of this waterway,” he added, referring to the vital strait.
Khamenei replaced his father Ali, who was killed on the first day of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran on Feb. 28. He’s not been seen or heard in public since his appointment, with several reports saying he was badly injured in the same airstrike on his father.
