Tehran [Iran], April 30 : Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba on Thursday said a "new chapter is emerging" for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, following what he described as the "shameful failure" of the United States in the region amid geopolitical tensions due to the Islamic Republic's recent confrontation with Washington and the power struggle between the two sides over the virtual control of the strategic waterway.
In his remarks on the occasion of Persian Gulf Day, carried by state broadcaster Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Khamenei said regional dynamics were shifting after the recent geopolitical confrontations, claiming that foreign influence in the Gulf was weakening.
He stated that the Iranian nation had made "major sacrifices" over centuries to preserve regional independence and resist foreign domination.
Referring to historical events, Khamenei cited the expulsion of Portuguese forces from Hormuz in the 17th century and resistance against Dutch and British colonial presence as part of Iran's long-standing struggle against external powers, noting that Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution marked a turning point, which led to the reduction of foreign influence in the region.
"The Islamic Revolution was the turning point of these resistances in cutting off the hands of the arrogant powers from the Persian Gulf region, and today, two months after the largest military campaign and aggression by the world's bullies in the region and the shameful failure of America in its plan, a new chapter is emerging for the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz," Khamenei said.
The Supreme Leader also referred to recent months, claiming that developments in the region demonstrated the role of Iran's military forces, including its army and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in maintaining deterrence and opposing foreign presence.
He further alleged that the presence of US forces in the Persian Gulf contributes to regional insecurity and questioned Washington's ability to ensure stability for its allies in the region.
"The nations of the Persian Gulf region, who had been accustomed for many years to the silence and humiliation of their rulers in the face of bullies and aggressors, have witnessed with their own eyes, in the past sixty days, the beautiful manifestations of the steadfastness, vigilance, and courageous struggle of the naval forces of the Army and the IRGC, alongside the zeal and chivalry of the people and youth of the beloved southern region of Iran in rejecting foreign domination," the Iranian leader said.
The message comes on the occasion of the Persian Gulf Day, observed annually on April 30 in Iran, which commemorates a historic victory against colonial forces and is often used to reinforce national sovereignty narratives tied to the Gulf and its strategic waterways.
The occasion marks the historic defeat of Portuguese colonial forces and their expulsion from Hormuz Island in 1622.
According to Press TV, Iranian ruler Abbas I led forces that defeated the Portuguese on Hormuz Island, ending a two-decade conflict and bringing a close to roughly a century of foreign control over the Persian Gulf.