Strait of Hormuz management will enter new phase: Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei

In a message aired on state television, Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran is preparing to move into a fresh strategic phase concerning the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei on Thursday signalled a shift in Tehran’s approach to the Strait of Hormuz, saying its management is set to enter a new phase.

In a message aired on state television, “The management of the Strait of Hormuz will certainly enter a new phase,” Khamenei said, without offering further details, suggesting a more structured policy ahead.

The Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping route through which nearly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply flows has already witnessed significant disruptions amid the escalating Middle East conflict.

"We did not seek war and we do not want it," he added in the message, as quoted by AFP.

"But we will not renounce our legitimate rights under any circumstances, and in this respect, we consider the entire resistance front as a whole," he said, in an apparent reference to Lebanon, where Israel is engaged in conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Earlier this week, United States and Iran agreed to two-week ceasefire, raising the possibility of peace talks.

Khamenei also urged citizens to remain active in public life, despite the ceasefire. He said people must "not imagine that taking to the streets is no longer necessary."

"Your voices in public squares are undoubtedly influential in the outcome of the negotiations," he added, according to the state TV broadcast, said AFP report.