In a rare statement, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei said that the future of the Middle East will be “bright” without the US.
“A new chapter for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is unfolding,” Khamenei wrote in a multi-post statement on his X account. “The brilliant future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without the US where the progress, comfort, and prosperity of its nations are served.”
The brilliant future of the Persian Gulf region will be a future without the US where the progress, comfort, and prosperity of its nations are served.
— Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei (@MKhamenei_ir) April 30, 2026
Before launching an aggressive war in February, the US maintained over a dozen military bases in the countries surrounding Iran. During the conflict, Iranian missiles and drones caused extensive damage to the bases, and several are now uninhabitable.
Iran also did extensive damage to the countries that were hosting US military bases, including Kuwait, the UAE, and Bahrain. The White House did not anticipate the scale of Iran’s response to the unprovoked war, and was not prepared to defend its Gulf allies.
Khamenei said that the war proved that the US was unable to defend its allies in the region. “The US’s flimsy bases lack the resilience and capability even to ensure their own security, let alone provide any hope for US’s dependents and the US-worshippers in the region.” He added, “It has been proven to not only the global public opinion but even to the rulers of countries that the US’s presence and establishment in the Persian Gulf is the main source of instability in the region.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this week said Washington would not allow the conflict to end without Tehran surrendering control of the Strait.
