By steemychicken1 on Skatehive
THE NEW SUPREME LEADER The new Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, made his first public statement since taking power. He declared that the Strait of Hormuz must remain closed as a tool of pressure. International Energy Agency also announced the largest release of strategic oil reserves in its history, while the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright, admitted that the United States is not yet able to escort oil tankers through the strait. Let’s take things step by step. Mojtaba Khamenei assumed the role of Supreme Leader on March 9, after his father, Ali Khamenei, was killed in an Israeli strike at the start of the war on February 28. He is 56 years old, widely considered even more hardline than his father, and is believed to be hiding in a secret location as a likely target for both the United States and Israel. Yesterday, in a message read by a presenter on Iranian state television, he made it clear that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz must continue as a way to pressure th