Mojtaba Khamenei warns Iran’s navy ready to defeat US forces

By AFP 18 April 2026, 2:20 pm 2 Edit

Women walk past a billboard depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei as government supporters gather to mark the 40th day since the killing of his father, in Tehran, Iran, April 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

TEHRAN, Iran — A statement said to have been issued by Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warns that Tehran’s navy was ready to defeat US forces, as the foes sparred over the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement carried on his Telegram channel, Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since before the start of the war, says Iran’s “brave navy stands ready to make the enemies taste the bitterness of new defeats.”