Iran's leader vows to protect nuclear and missile capabilities

Key Points:

• Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, declared that Iran will protect its nuclear and missile capabilities as vital national assets amid ongoing tensions with the U.S. and regional conflicts.
• Khamenei condemned U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf, asserting that Americans belong “at the bottom of its waters,” signaling a hardline stance during a fragile ceasefire and increasing regional hostility.
• The U.S. Navy has imposed a blockade on Iranian oil tankers, squeezing Iran’s oil exports and contributing to a spike in global oil prices, with Brent crude reaching $126 a barrel due to Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz.
• Khamenei indicated Iran will maintain control over the Strait of Hormuz, charging fees for passage and asserting that Tehran’s management will enhance regional security, despite international objections viewing the strait as an open waterway.
• The standoff over the strait and Iran’s nuclear program continues, with Iran proposing to delay nuclear negotiations, while the U.S. aims to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons amid broader geopolitical and economic pressures.