Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei broke the silence with a tough statement on April 30 (local time), about 2 months "after the largest military deployment and aggressive actions of bullying forces around the world in the region".
A new chapter is opening for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz" - Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei emphasized in a statement reread by the Iranian state television host.
The statement said that Tehran will ensure security in the Gulf region and eliminate "abuses by enemies on waterways", while affirming that "the new management of the strait will bring peace of mind and progress for the benefit of all countries in the region and economic benefits will bring joy to the people".
Speaking on Persian Gulf Day in Iran, Mr. Khamenei also pledged that Iran will "protect modern technological capabilities - from nanotechnology, biology to nuclear and missiles - as national assets, and will protect them as borders at sea, on land and in the air".
No images or videos of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei have been broadcast since he was appointed as Supreme Leader in early March.
Many reports say that the Iranian supreme leader was seriously injured in the bombing that killed his father - his 86-year-old predecessor - on February 28. Mr. Mojtaba Khamenei is believed to be being treated at the hospital.
The new statement shows that Iran is determined to implement a new toll mechanism in the Strait of Hormuz and according to Iran, this mechanism will benefit the entire region.
The world considers the Strait of Hormuz as an international waterway, open to all countries without paying a fee, and the Gulf Arab countries have criticized Iran's control of the strait as similar to piracy.
Currently, within Iran, there is an exchange on not needing a new law to implement the plan in the Strait of Hormuz, and at the same time avoiding using the concept of toll collection but using the term service fee to reduce international reactions.
Since April 13, the US has launched a blockade campaign to prevent oil tankers from entering Iranian ports, causing the Iranian oil industry to be almost paralyzed.
In the context of negotiations mediated by Pakistan falling into deadlock, there is almost no sign that the US and Iran will lift the blockade in Hormuz. The number of ships passing through the strait is still extremely low, sometimes only about 3 ships per day compared to the normal level of 120-140 ships.
In a statement on April 30, Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei warned: "Those outsiders, from thousands of kilometers away, who are maliciously eyeing this strait will have no place there, except at the bottom of the water.
Axios news site reported that the US military is still proposing options for President Donald Trump to consider resuming attacks in Iran.
On April 29, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper had a discussion in Washington about the Strait of Hormuz. An email from the US State Department to the embassies, reported by the Wall Street Journal, showed that the US is seeking to participate in plans to monitor the strait after the conflict ends.
