Ayatollah Seyyed Moztaba Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, issued a hardline statement on Iran’s Army Day.
In a statement on the 18th (local time), Khamenei said, \"Just as Iran’s drones strike like lightning at the criminals — the United States and Zionists (Israel) — our valiant navy is ready to inflict a new, bitter defeat on our enemies,\" Yonhap News reported.
His decision to single out the navy appears linked to an X post the previous day by Iran’s foreign minister, who said he would temporarily open the Strait of Hormuz.
After the foreign minister’s post, U.S. President Donald Trump responded with remarks suggesting Iran had accepted U.S. conditions, and Iran’s military announced it would reclose the Strait of Hormuz that same day.
With the likelihood of a second round of talks with the United States increasing, analysts say the supreme leader issued the hardline message to align publicly with the military and to prevent the foreign minister’s statement from being seen as a preemptive concession on the Strait of Hormuz.
Khamenei also described the former Pahlavi monarchy as a corrupt and repressive system, saying the Islamic Revolution marked a turning point for Iran’s armed forces. He said the revolution ended a period of weakness and returned the military to the people.
He added that the armed forces have constructed a narrative opposing what he called the malign plans of the United States, remnants of the Pahlavi regime and separatists. Drawing a parallel to the two wars forced on Iran in 2024 and 2025 — which he attributed to U.S. and Israeli attacks — he said the military continues to defend the nation’s territory and flag with strong divine and popular support.
Since his selection as supreme leader on the 9th of last month, Khamenei has not issued any recorded spoken statements; this message was released in writing via Telegram channels and state media.
