TEHRAN – Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei announced on April 30 that a “new management” system for the strategic Strait of Hormuz would bring “calm, progress and economic benefits to all Gulf nations” .
In a written statement marking Persian Gulf National Day — commemorating the 1622 expulsion of Portuguese forces from the strait — Khamenei declared that a “new chapter” for the Gulf has emerged since the war with the United States and Israel erupted on February 28 . The Strait of Hormuz handles approximately 20% of global oil shipments but has remained largely closed since March, choking off supplies and driving oil prices above $115 per barrel .
“The bright future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without America, one serving the progress, comfort and prosperity of its people,” Khamenei said in the statement broadcast on state TV . He warned that foreign actors who “commit evil have no place except in the depths of the waters” .
Khamenei — who assumed leadership following his father Ali Khamenei’s death in a February 28 US-Israeli airstrike — has not appeared publicly since the attack and communicates solely through written messages . He reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to protecting its nuclear and missile technologies, describing them as “national assets” .
Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakers have finalized a parliamentary plan assigning the general staff of Iran’s armed forces as the authority responsible for actions in the strait. The legislation, set for a vote, would prohibit all vessels affiliated with Israel from crossing the waterway .
The statement comes as US-Iran peace negotiations remain stalled, with a fragile ceasefire in place but the waterway still blocked. The United States maintains a naval blockade of Iranian ports, demanding Tehran surrender its enriched uranium stockpile — a condition Iran has rejected outright .
