TEHRAN - Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei has announced that Iran will implement new management rules over the Strait of Hormuz following the joint US-Israeli war against the country that began on February 28.

“Today, two months after the largest military deployment and aggression by the world’s bullies in the region, and the United States’ disgraceful defeat in its plans, a new chapter is unfolding for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a message on Thursday marking National Persian Gulf Day. Iran commemorates its historic 1622 triumph over colonial occupation along its southern coastline on April 30.

“The legal framework and the exercise of the new management of the Strait of Hormuz will bring comfort and progress to the benefit of all nations in the region, and its economic blessings will gladden the nation’s heart; by the permission of Allah, even if the disbelievers despise it,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.

The Leader stressed that Iran “will secure the Persian Gulf region and will dismantle the hostile enemy's abuses of this waterway.”

Since the start of the US-Israeli war, Iran has asserted full control over the Strait of Hormuz, preventing vessels affiliated with its adversaries from transiting the strategic waterway.

Pointing to the significance of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, the Leader said they have “shaped part of our identity and civilization and, in addition to being a connecting point for nations, create a vital and unique route for the global economy.”

He noted that “this strategic asset has provoked the greed of many devils in past centuries.”

Referring to the “thuggery of the Great Satan” as the latest example, the Leader said the history of repeated acts of aggression by European and American powers, along with insecurity, damage, and numerous threats to the countries of the region, represents only a fraction of the ominous plots of the world’s arrogant powers against the inhabitants of the Persian Gulf. In Iranian political discourse, the term “Great Satan” refers to the United States, a phrase first popularized after the 1979 Islamic Revolution to describe Washington’s hostile and interventionist policies.

The Leader said Iran has made “the greatest sacrifices for the independence of the Persian Gulf and the confrontation with foreigners and aggressors; from the expulsion of the Portuguese and the liberation of the Strait of Hormuz to the struggle against Dutch colonialism and the epics of resistance against British colonialism.”

He hailed the Islamic Revolution’s success “in severing the hands of the arrogant powers from the Persian Gulf region.”

The Leader further praised the courage of the Iranian people and armed forces for standing against US and Israeli aggression.

“The Persian Gulf nations….had grown accustomed to the silence and submissiveness of their rulers in the face of bullies and aggressors,” the Leader said. They “have witnessed over the past sixty days the manifestations of resilience, vigilance, and determination by the brave men of the Navy of the Army and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), alongside the zeal and courage of the Iranian people in rejecting foreign domination.”

Citing global public opinion and the nations of the region, the Leader said “the presence of American forces and their establishment of footholds in the lands of the Persian Gulf is the most important factor of insecurity in the region.”

The Leader emphasized that the United States is not capable of defending the Persian Gulf states, especially in light of the blows US bases suffered during the 39 days of war with Iran.

“America's hollow bases do not even have the endurance or capability to secure themselves, let alone inspire hope that America can secure its regional dependents,” he said.

He added, “The bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without America and in the service of the progress, comfort, and prosperity of its nations,” noting that Iran shares a “common destiny” with its neighbors in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.
The Leader also issued a stern warning to the US over its warmongering. “Foreigners who, from thousands of kilometers away, greedily commit atrocities within it, have no place in it except at the bottom of its waters.” 

The Leader referred to the more than 30 million Iranians who have signed a national campaign declaring their readiness to sacrifice their lives for the homeland amid foreign aggression — a movement known domestically as the “JANFADA” (self-sacrifice) campaign.
He said that Iran is experiencing a “miraculous awakening,” reflected in the readiness of tens of millions of people to sacrifice their lives in the struggle against “Zionism and the bloodthirsty America.”