Iran’s supreme leader warns America, ‘has taken a big pledge to protect nuclear and missile capabilities’
Dubai. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has pledged to protect the Islamic Republic’s nuclear and missile capabilities. In a statement read Thursday by a presenter on an Iranian state television channel, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said the Americans’ place in the Persian Gulf is only “under its waters” and a “new chapter” is being written in the history of the region.
Mojtaba Khamenei became Iran’s supreme leader after his father was killed in air strikes early in the war but has not been seen in public since. Khamenei made this comment at a time when US President Donald Trump is trying to limit Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities through air strikes and a comprehensive agreement.
Iran’s economy is under pressure due to the war in West Asia and its oil tankers are unable to go to sea due to the US Navy blockade. The global economy is also being hit by Iran maintaining control over the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world’s crude passes. On Thursday, the price of global standard Brent crude oil reached US $ 126 per barrel.
This shock in oil supplies and prices is increasing pressure on Trump, who is considering a new plan to reopen the vital route for oil and gas exports to his Gulf allies. Under the plan, the US would continue the blockade of Iranian ports and, together with allies, impose greater costs on Iran’s efforts to disrupt the free flow of energy, a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.
In a message sent on Tuesday, the US State Department directed its diplomats around the world (except Belarus, China, Cuba and Russia) to seek support from host countries for the creation of a “maritime freedom framework” to ensure unhindered movement of ships through the strait. Meanwhile, Trump has also indicated possible changes in the deployment of US troops in allied countries in Europe.
A day after announcing a review of reducing the number of American troops in Germany, when he was asked about removing troops from Italy and Spain, he said, “Why should I not do this? Italy has not helped us at all and Spain’s attitude has been very bad.”
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