Iran's new supreme leader vows to 'avenge the blood of Iranians' in first statement amid injury rumours
The first statement from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei comes amid reports the leader was seriously injured in an airstrike and has 'lost a leg'
Iran's new Supreme Leader has vowed to 'avenge the blood of Iranians' and will continue the blockade on the Strait of Hormuz amid reports he was seriously injured in an airstrike.
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Mojtaba Khamenei, 56 - the second eldest son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei - has not been seen since being appointed Supreme Leader on Monday.
His father and wife both killed in a joint US-Israeli air strike on February 28 - a strike that marked the start of the war, with subsequent reports suggesting Khamenei was seriously injured and 'remains in a coma' in hospital.
In a statement read out by a presenter on state television on Thursday, Khamenei said that the "lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz" should still be used by Iran going forward.
The decision to allow the anchor to deliver the written statement in place of a personal appearance by Khamenei has fuelled rumours surrounding the Supreme Leader's condition.
The statement continued by insisting that Iran would not refrain from avenging the "blood of its martyrs", after a US strike near a school killed 168 people, including 110 children.
Read more: Iran's new Ayatollah 'in coma and lost a leg' after being 'seriously injured' in airstrike
"We are not an enemy of the countries around us, and we are only targeting the bases of those Americans," the statement continued.
Implying unity was now required to unite the Gulf, he said: "We send a message to the leaders of the region and emphasise that we are going to have good relations with the countries around us."
The Supreme Leader also called for American bases in the region to close immediately.
"The existence of the US bases in [Iran's neighbours] and usage of those bases to attack Iran is not benefiting the region and they must be closed."
"A limited amount of this revenge has so far taken concrete form, but until it is fully achieved, this case will remain among our priorities."
Mojtaba has kept a low profile in recent years, a figure described as a “veteran of the Ramadan war” by state television amid reports that he has been exercising influence behind the scenes.
According to the Sun, the Iranian leader is currently in a coma after losing one or both of his legs, as well as sustaining serious stomach or liver damage.
It remains unclear whether Khamenei was injured on the same day his father died.
He reportedly remains in intensive care at the Sina University Hospital in Tehran's historic quarter, with a section of the hospital sealed off and surrounded by security.
The outlet also reported Khamenei remains in a “very serious” condition under the care of Mohammad Reza Zafargjani.
Zafargjani is Iran’s Minister of health, Treatment and Medical Education but also one of the country’s top trauma surgeons and the regime’s most trusted physician
The source said in a message: “One or two of his legs have been cut off. His liver or stomach has also ruptured. He is apparently in a coma as well.”
Many foreign nationals have been getting out of the Persian Gulf region since the war began, including over 45,000 UK citizens, the UK Foreign Office said.
Some 40,000 people returned to the United States, according to the American state department.
In addition to the nearly 500 people killed in Lebanon, Iran has said more than 1,300 people have been killed there and Israel has reported 12 people dead.
The US has lost seven soldiers while another eight have suffered severe injuries.
Overnight, two ships were struck off the coast of Iraq, near the port of Umm Qasr, killing one person and injuring 38 others, the head of the General Company for Iraqi ports said.
The explosions come after three cargo vessels were hit by “unknown projectiles” in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday.
Iraq rescued more than 20 crew members from the two vessels, which both caught fire in the attacks and are still ablaze, according to Farhan al-Fartousi, Iraq's director general of the General Company for Ports.
Following the attacks, the country's oil ports have reportedly "completely stopped operations", while commercial ports continue to operate.
At the United Nations, the Security Council is to vote on Wednesday afternoon on the Gulf Cooperation Council resolution, according to diplomats.
The council, a six-nation regional bloc, said its own facilities were targeted in an Iranian attack last week on Bahrain.
The draft resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, condemns Iran's attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. The measure calls for an immediate end to all strikes and threats against neighbouring states, including through proxies.
It would be the first Security Council resolution considered since the start of the war.