Tehran, April 30 — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said Thursday that the Persian Gulf’s future should be free of American forces, arguing that distant foreign powers have no rightful role in the region except “in the depths of its waters.” His remarks were made in a message marking Persian Gulf Day and were reported by state broadcaster IRIB.
Khamenei framed the Gulf’s future as tied to the shared destiny of regional states and warned against interference by external actors. He described recent political and strategic developments as the beginning of a “new order” driven by Iran’s resistance policies and the country’s strategic posture.
He also highlighted what he called growing unity and resilience within Iran, saying national strength now extends across science, industry and advanced fields — including nano, bio, nuclear and missile technologies. Khamenei said Iranians at home and abroad regard these capabilities as strategic national assets to be defended alongside territorial borders.
“Today the awakening of the Iranian nation is not limited to those who sacrificed in past struggles,” he said, emphasizing that roughly 90 million Iranians consider the country’s technological and scientific capacities part of their national capital and will guard them like land, sea and air borders.
Persian Gulf Day, observed in Iran each April 30, commemorates the 1622 expulsion of Portuguese forces from Hormuz Island — an episode often cited to stress sovereignty over the Gulf and adjacent waterways. Press TV noted that Shah Abbas I led the campaign that ended nearly a century of foreign control in the area.
Khamenei’s comments come amid heightened tensions with the United States and ongoing competition for influence around the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint for global energy shipments.
The remarks were published by state media and reflect the official line presented on the anniversary; they were republished in agency dispatches and carry the context and perspective of Iran’s leadership.
