On behalf of Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran was declared ready for a new war

The statement, read out on Iranian TV, said that the only place for Americans in the Persian Gulf is “at the bottom of its waters.” According to Mojtaba Khamenei, a “new chapter” is beginning in the history of the region. In fact, it was announced that Iran was ready for a new war.

The authorship of this statement is questioned by many experts. There is no reliable information about the health status of 56-year-old Mojtaba Khamenei. It is known that he was seriously wounded. Reuters, citing sources in Khamenei’s inner circle, wrote a few weeks ago that his face was disfigured and his legs were badly damaged after an attack on the residence of the supreme leader in the center of Tehran on February 28, 2026, when Rahbar Ali Khamenei, Mojtaba’s father, was killed. Sources close to the new supreme leader claim that he is recovering, remains clear-headed and is actively involved in governing the state and making key decisions, including issues of waging war and negotiations with Washington, and holds meetings with senior officials via audio conferences. But no one outside Mojtaba Khamenei’s inner circle knows whether this is so. It is clear that he is significantly influenced by the surviving leaders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who can make statements on his behalf.

Against this backdrop, NBC News reports, citing a US official and two other knowledgeable sources, that Iran is using the ceasefire to restore its missile and drone capabilities. According to the channel’s interlocutors, in recent days Tehran has intensified efforts to search, retrieve and restore ballistic missiles and ammunition that were previously hidden or became inaccessible after airstrikes. The US assesses that the Iranian regime is seeking to quickly rebuild its missile and drone arsenal so it can attack targets in the Middle East again if President Donald Trump decides to resume hostilities.

On April 30, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a statement predicting a quick return to hostilities in Iran: “We may have to act again in Iran in the near future to ensure that the Iranian regime will not be able to threaten the State of Israel for many years to come.” “Iran has suffered extremely difficult blows over the past year, blows that have set it back years in all areas,” the Minister of Defense emphasized. “But the complexity of the tasks facing us will only increase. At the same time, we have historic opportunities to change the reality in our region.”

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump and Commander of US Army Central Command (CENTCOM) Admiral Brad Cooper discussed new operational plans. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Cain also attended the meeting. On the eve of this meeting, Axios wrote that one of the options prepared by CENTCOM calls for a “short and powerful” wave of strikes against Iran, which would likely include infrastructure targets. The goal of such a scenario is to try to break the deadlock in negotiations with Tehran or deal Iran a decisive blow before the possible end of the war. Another option, according to the publication’s sources, concerns the seizure of part of the Strait of Hormuz to resume commercial shipping; such an operation may require the participation of ground forces. Earlier, Trump rejected Tehran’s proposal to first open the Strait of Hormuz and lift the blockade, and postpone nuclear negotiations to a later stage. The president told Axios that the US blockade will remain in place until a nuclear deal that meets US demands is reached.

Judging by media publications, the White House does not rule out a new wave of attacks in Iran, but they fear that the war will drag on without bringing obvious results that could be interpreted as a final victory over the ayatollahs’ regime. The “economic strangulation” scenario for Tehran looks safer, but it has a negative effect on the entire global economy, including the US economy. There is another factor that journalists mention: from June 11 to July 19, the USA, Canada and Mexico will host the World Cup – and during this period Washington would not want to conduct active military operations. FIFA management confirmed the participation of the Iranian national team in the championship.