Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized the United States on Thursday, calling it the “Great Satan” and saying he would not compromise Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.In a written statement read on state television, Khamenei said Iran’s strategic plans remain non-negotiable and are vital to the country’s sovereignty. He also said that Americans have no place in the Persian Gulf region.“We share a common destiny with our neighbors on both sides of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometers away and act with greed and malice have no place here — except under the water,” he said, according to the Associated Press.He further described Iran’s technological and military capabilities as national assets that will be protected by the people. “Ninety million proud and honorable Iranians at home and abroad regard all of Iran’s identity-based spiritual, humanistic, scientific, industrial and technological capabilities – from nanotechnology and biotechnology to nuclear and missile capabilities – as national assets and will protect them just as they protect the country’s waters, lands and airspace,” Khamenei said.The comments come as tensions rise in West Asia, with Iran’s oil industry reportedly under pressure due to restrictions affecting tanker sailings. The disruption coincided with volatility in global oil prices, with Brent crude hitting $126 a barrel.Nearly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which remains at the heart of the standoff. Iran’s strategic position in the waterway has added to volatility in energy markets and increased pressure on the United States as it weighs responses.The United States and Iran remain locked in disputes over sanctions, nuclear talks and sea control as a fragile ceasefire remains in place. Tehran has also proposed delaying talks on its nuclear program, while Washington insists its goal is to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes but has enriched uranium to near weapons-grade levels.Khamenei also linked Iran’s regional posture to broader geopolitical changes, saying the future of the Persian Gulf should be determined by regional powers rather than external actors.He suggested Iran would continue to defend its position in the Strait of Hormuz and called for what he called a “new management” framework for the waterway. Gulf Arab states and much of the international community consider the strait an international passage vital to global trade.
