Mojtaba Khamenei Vows Iran Will Control Strait Of Hormuz, Rejects US Role In Gulf

“Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometers away, acting maliciously out of greed, have no place there, except at the bottom of its waters,” the statement read. The message was released on Iran’s National Day of the Persian Gulf, a holiday that commemorates a 1622 victory over Portuguese forces in the strait. Khamenei used the occasion to frame Iran’s current standoff with the United States as part of a long history of resisting foreign powers in the region. He also reaffirmed that Iran would keep its nuclear capabilities and missile program, describing them as “national assets” that must be protected just like the country’s land, sea, and air borders.