"Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who Israel suspects was wounded in the opening salvo of the war, has not appeared in public since then. In the statement read by a state TV news anchor, he vowed to avenge those killed in the war, including in a strike on a school that killed over 165 people."
"The statement signaled a willingness to continue the war that has disrupted global energy supplies, international travel and the relative safety enjoyed by the Gulf Arab states. Iran's unrelenting attacks on shipping traffic and energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf had earlier pushed oil back above $100 a barrel."
"Iran is trying to inflict enough global economic pain to pressure the United States and Israel to halt their bombardment, which began on Feb. 28. Those strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - Mojtaba's father - and the younger Khamenei's wife."
Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, made his first public statement since succeeding his father, who was killed in an Israeli strike. He vowed to avenge those killed in the ongoing war, including victims of a school strike that killed over 165 people. The statement signals Iran's commitment to continuing the conflict, which has disrupted global energy supplies and international travel. Iran's attacks on shipping and energy infrastructure have pushed oil prices above $100 per barrel. Despite heavy US and Israeli strikes damaging Iran's leadership, military, and missile program, the government remains intact. Iran aims to inflict economic pain to pressure the US and Israel to halt bombardment that began February 28. President Trump has promised to "finish the job" while prioritizing preventing Iranian nuclear development over oil prices.
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