Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Urges Muslim Nations To Recognise ‘Real Enemy’ As Hormuz Traffic Falls To New Lows

Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, has urged Muslim nations, especially the Gulf countries, to recognise their ‘real enemy’ instead of remaining divided, which would only benefit their enemies.

The statement, which was published on his Telegram account on the Birthday of the Prophet Muhammad, said that Muslim countries must identify, understand and confront their real adversaries.

This is one of the few public statements made by the New Leader of Iran, since his father, Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed by U.S-israeli strikes in February.

The timing of the announcement is not a coincidence. Prolonged U.S naval blockade has damaged the economy of Iran, with exports and imports falling by 35%, due to Western sanctions and the closure of Hormuz to ships carrying Iranian cargo by U.S forces.

Inflation has also reached 66% while the U.S is continuing to pressure the Islamic Republic financially.

Recently, Washington also targeted Banque Misr, a major Egyptian bank, in the UAE and barred it from dollar transactions due to its dealings with Iran.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi recently announced that the country had reached an agreement with Oman regarding a temporary maritime route through the Strait of Hormuz while explicitly stating that any ship wanting to pass through the waterway has to coordinate with Iran.

PM of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani went to Iran for talks regarding restoration of shipping in Hormuz and de-escalation in the region.

Qatar has been an active mediator in the U.S-Iran conflict, even though it has had a close relationship with the U.S and also has the U.S Al Udeid air base.

Oman has also been a consistent mediator between Iran and the U.S for decades, though it is currently working with the U.S. to enable shipping through Hormuz through a temporary route.

Muscat has been under pressure from Iran and also Gulf economies who are dependent on revenues from oil and gas exports. However, ships have come under attack in the region, which has led to financial losses running in millions and billions.

Iran has clearly stated that the Hormuz would reopen to shipping only when the U.S would remove its sanctions on Iran, along with the naval blockade on its ports.