- Iran has issued a statement attributed to its new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei amid conflicting reports about his status after he was injured in the war.
- The statement, which Iran claims was from Khamenei, was read on state TV by a news anchor. It threatened new attacks on US bases and warned Iran will “avenge the blood of martyrs.”
- Iran called for all US bases in the region to be closed and also claimed that it still has a policy of “friendship” with its neighbours, despite continued strikes and disruption in the region.
- The country signalled it would continue the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, describing it as a tool of leverage with which to pressure the U.S.
- Khamenei did not appear on camera and has not made any public statements since the beginning of the war, when he was said to have been injured.
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