We will take from its assets to the extent we deem appropriate
In the opening weeks of a war that has already displaced millions and rattled global energy markets, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei delivered his first public statement — not as a gesture toward peace, but as a declaration of endurance. Speaking from concealment, likely wounded in the strikes that killed his father and family, Khamenei threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz and promised retaliation calibrated not by restraint but by scale. The world now watches a conflict in which neither side has yet glimpsed, let alone offered, an exit.
- A new Supreme Leader, almost certainly wounded and grieving the deaths of his closest family members, has chosen confrontation over silence as his opening act — signaling that Iran's leadership transition will not soften its posture.
- The threat to close the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world's oil flows — has already pushed crude above $100 a barrel, triggering emergency price controls in Greece and prompting Goldman Sachs to revise U.S. growth and inflation forecasts downward.
- Millions of lives are in motion: 3.2 million Iranians have fled their cities, over 800,000 Lebanese have been displaced in ten days, and commercial shipping in the Persian Gulf is so imperiled that some operators are falsely claiming Chinese ownership to avoid Iranian targeting.
- The military front is expanding in every direction — missile warnings in Israel, strikes on Kuwait's airport, drone hits in Dubai, attacks on bases in Iraq and Italy, and an Israeli strike on an Iranian nuclear facility — while the U.S. admits it is not yet prepared to escort tankers through the strait.
- Russia is quietly profiting, earning nearly $7 billion in fossil fuel revenues since the conflict began, as the rest of the world scrambles to absorb a shock that has no clear endpoint in sight.
Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei broke his silence on Thursday with a statement that offered no retreat. He spoke without appearing on camera — Israeli intelligence believed he was wounded in the opening strikes of the war, the same strikes that killed his father, wife, sister, niece, and brother-in-law. His message was a promise of retaliation and a threat to the world economy: close the Strait of Hormuz, continue attacks on Gulf neighbors, and extract compensation for every Iranian death, by destruction if necessary. He dismissed American security guarantees to regional allies as lies and called on those allies to expel U.S. military bases. The statement hinted at the possible revival of militant operations stretching back decades.
The war, which began on February 28, has already redrawn the map of daily life across the region. Oil surged past $100 a barrel as Iranian attacks on shipping intensified. The UN reported 3.2 million Iranians displaced, most fleeing Tehran toward the north or rural areas. In Lebanon, over 800,000 people were uprooted in just ten days as Israel warned of operations against Hezbollah. An airstrike on an Iraqi militia base killed at least 14 fighters. Across the Persian Gulf, 19 commercial vessels have been damaged, and some ship operators began falsely claiming Chinese ownership to avoid targeting.
The economic damage is spreading beyond the region. Goldman Sachs warned the conflict could slow U.S. growth, raise unemployment, and keep inflation elevated through year's end. Greece imposed emergency price controls on fuel and staples. Russia, meanwhile, has earned nearly $7 billion in fossil fuel exports since the fighting began, with daily revenues running 14 percent above February levels.
On Thursday alone, five missile warnings sounded in Israel, strikes hit Kuwait's international airport, drones struck Dubai, and bases in Iraq and Italy came under attack. The U.S. Energy Secretary acknowledged the country was not yet ready to escort tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. The USS Gerald R. Ford, operating in the Red Sea, suffered a non-combat fire. Israel said it had struck an Iranian nuclear facility in recent days.
Khamenei's statement, delivered as airstrikes continued over Tehran, marked a deliberate signal of continuity with his father's confrontational legacy. He described seeing his father's body after the strike — a clenched fist, a mountain of steadfastness — framing personal grief as national resolve. But the image also captured the human cost of a war that has displaced millions, killed civilians across multiple countries, and pushed global energy markets into territory no one fully mapped. Neither side has yet signaled an off-ramp, and the world is left to absorb the consequences of that silence.
Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei broke his silence on Thursday with a statement that signaled no retreat from the escalating conflict with the United States and Israel. Speaking without appearing on camera—Israeli intelligence assessed he was likely wounded in the war's opening strikes that killed his father, wife, sister, niece, and brother-in-law—Khamenei promised retaliation for every death and threatened to weaponize Iran's geography against the world economy.
His message was stark and layered with economic threat. He called for closing the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of global oil passes, and vowed that attacks on Gulf Arab neighbors would continue. He dismissed American security guarantees to regional allies as lies and demanded they expel U.S. military bases. Most pointedly, he framed Iranian retaliation not as a matter of if but of how much: "If it refuses, we will take from its assets to the extent we deem appropriate, and if that is not possible, we will destroy its assets to the same extent." The statement suggested Iran might open new fronts in the conflict, potentially reviving the kind of militant operations the United States has blamed on Tehran for decades—from the 1983 Marine Barracks bombing in Beirut onward.
The war, which began on February 28, has already reshaped global markets and displaced millions. Oil surged past $100 a barrel as Iranian attacks on shipping and energy infrastructure intensified. The United Nations refugee agency reported that 3.2 million people have fled Iran, most from Tehran and other major cities toward the north or rural areas. In Lebanon, where Israel has warned residents of a large swath of territory to evacuate ahead of operations against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia, over 800,000 people have been displaced in just ten days. An airstrike on an Iran-aligned Iraqi militia base killed at least 14 fighters—the heaviest loss the Popular Mobilization Forces have suffered since the war began. Ships across the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz have come under attack; at least 19 commercial vessels have been damaged, and some ship operators have begun falsely identifying themselves as Chinese-owned in hopes of avoiding targeting, since Iran has generally spared vessels linked to Beijing.
The economic ripple is already visible in forecasts and policy responses. Goldman Sachs warned that the war could slow U.S. growth, raise unemployment, and keep inflation elevated—now expected to end the year at 2.9 percent rather than cooling as previously forecast. The bank pushed back its expectation for Federal Reserve rate cuts to September. Greece imposed emergency price controls on fuel and household staples through June 30. Russia, meanwhile, has earned nearly $7 billion in fossil fuel exports during the conflict, with daily revenues running 14 percent higher than in February.
The military picture remains fluid and dangerous. The U.S. Navy's USS Gerald R. Ford, the world's largest aircraft carrier operating in the Red Sea, experienced a non-combat fire in its laundry area that injured two sailors. The U.S. Energy Secretary acknowledged the nation is not yet ready to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, saying military assets remain focused on destroying Iran's offensive capabilities. Meanwhile, Iranian missiles and drones continued striking across the region on Thursday alone—five separate missile warnings in Israel, strikes on Kuwait International Airport, drone hits in Dubai, and attacks on military bases in Iraq and Italy. Bahrain sounded its missile alert siren. Qatar intercepted an Iranian missile. The Israeli military warned of more incoming fire and said it had struck an Iranian nuclear facility in recent days.
Khamenei's statement, delivered as airstrikes boomed across Tehran in real time, marked a pivot point. Unlike his predecessor, who waited 40 days after taking power before making a public address, the new Supreme Leader spoke immediately—a sign of the desperation Iran faces and the determination to project continuity with his slain father's confrontational strategy. He acknowledged seeing his father's body after the airstrike, describing what he witnessed as "a mountain of steadfastness" with a clenched fist. The image was meant to steel resolve. But it also underscored the personal cost of a war that has already displaced millions, killed civilians across multiple countries, and pushed global energy markets into uncharted territory. What comes next depends on whether either side sees an off-ramp, and so far, neither has signaled one.
Citações Notáveis
In any case, we will obtain compensation from the enemy. If it refuses, we will take from its assets to the extent we deem appropriate, and if that is not possible, we will destroy its assets to the same extent.— Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader
The leverage of closing the Strait of Hormuz should be used and attacks on Gulf Arab neighbors will continue.— Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why did Khamenei choose to speak now, without appearing in person, when his predecessor waited forty days?
He had no choice. His father was killed in the opening strikes, along with much of his immediate family. Waiting would signal weakness at the worst possible moment—when Iran's government is under existential pressure and needs to show its people and allies that the succession is stable and the fight continues.
The statement talks about "compensation" and "taking from assets." That's vague. What does he actually mean?
It's deliberately vague because it keeps options open. He's signaling that retaliation will happen, but not committing to a specific form. It could mean more attacks on shipping, strikes on U.S. bases, cyber operations, or support for proxy groups. The ambiguity is itself a weapon—it keeps adversaries guessing and allies hopeful.
The Strait of Hormuz threat seems almost too big to execute. Would Iran actually close it?
Probably not completely. But they don't need to. They've already shown they can damage ships and disrupt traffic enough to push oil above $100 a barrel. That's leverage. Even the threat of closure changes behavior—insurers raise premiums, shipping routes shift, prices spike. Iran gets economic pain inflicted on the West without needing to fully blockade the strait.
Three million Iranians displaced. That's a staggering number. How does a government function when that many people are fleeing?
It doesn't function normally. You lose tax revenue, economic activity collapses, hospitals and schools are overwhelmed. But from Khamenei's perspective, displacement also removes potential protesters from major cities. The people most likely to challenge the government are concentrated in Tehran and other urban centers. Pushing them north or into rural areas actually reduces internal dissent at a moment when the regime can't afford it.
Why are ships pretending to be Chinese?
Because Iran has been careful not to target Chinese vessels. China is neutral, has economic ties to Iran, and Iran needs China's diplomatic cover at the UN. So ship operators are gaming the system—they know if their vessel is flagged as Chinese-owned, the risk of attack drops dramatically. It's a small example of how the war is already reshaping global commerce in real time.
The U.S. says it's "virtually destroyed" Iran but also says it's not ready to escort tankers yet. How do those statements fit together?
They don't, which is the point. The U.S. is claiming victory for domestic consumption while simultaneously admitting it doesn't have the military capacity to stabilize the region it claims to have won. That gap between rhetoric and reality is where the real danger lives.