Iran's Newly Installed Supreme Leader Khamenei Vows to Protect Nuclear and Missile Capabilities

Iran's newly installed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who assumed power after his 86-year-old father was killed in a Feb. 28 attack, has vowed to protect Iran's nuclear and missile programs against US pressure, with Iran having enriched uranium to near-weapons-grade 60% levels. The US Navy has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports to deprive Iran of oil revenue, while Iran maintains control over the Strait of Hormuz—through which a fifth of global crude oil passes—and has been charging ships up to $2 million to transit. President Donald Trump, who cited preventing Iranian nuclear weapons as a major war justification, is proposing to reopen the strait while continuing the blockade, as Brent crude reached $126 per barrel and Pakistan mediates indirect talks. Gulf Arab nations have condemned Iran's strait control as piracy, while Iran's economy reels under pressure and a recent Iranian proposal seeks to delay nuclear negotiations.

Iran's Supreme Leader Defends Nuclear and Missile Programs

• ▪Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei's father, the 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a Feb. 28 attack
• ▪Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei was reportedly wounded in the Feb. 28 attack that killed his father
• ▪Iran enriched uranium at near-weapons-grade levels of 60%
• ▪Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to protect Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities
• ▪Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei became Iran's supreme leader following the killing of his father in war's opening airstrikes
• ▪Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has not been seen in public since taking over as Iran's supreme leader

U.S. Blockade and Iran's Control of the Strait of Hormuz

• ▪Iran had been charging some ships reportedly $2 million apiece to travel through the Strait of Hormuz
• ▪The Strait of Hormuz sits in the territorial waters of Iran and Oman

Global Economic Impact and Diplomatic Efforts

• ▪Brent crude traded as high as $126 a barrel on Thursday
• ▪President Donald Trump said one of the major reasons he went to war was to deny Iran the ability to develop nuclear weapons

Perspective of Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei and Iran

• ▪Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to safeguard Iran's nuclear and missile programs against US efforts to curtail them