Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's newly appointed supreme leader, delivered a defiant first address following his succession after the death of his father in United States and Israeli airstrikes. He signaled that Iran would not retreat from the escalating war that has spread across the Middle East and has heightened concerns about regional stability and the global economy.

He ordered the military to continue blocking the Strait of Hormuz, a critical oil shipping route, calling its closure a necessary lever of pressure. The disruption has effectively halted transit through the waterway and driven oil prices sharply higher in recent days.

Khamenei also urged neighboring countries to shut down United States military bases used to launch attacks against Iran and vowed to avenge those killed in recent strikes. He pointed specifically to an attack on a girls' elementary school in Minab, which Iranian officials say killed at least 175 people, most of them children, and which a United States military investigation determined was carried out by the United States.