Mohammad Mohabbir, a senior advisor to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has issued a stark call to Gulf states, urging them to accept Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz. His message came with the assertion that the United States has proven itself "incapable of protecting you."
In recent weeks, Tehran has been pressuring Gulf nations to accept what it describes as a new regional order, with Iran positioned as the sole commercial and maritime power in the area. According to reports, Iranian officials have urged Gulf states to separate what they characterize as an "internal regional matter" from the broader conflict with Washington—effectively creating a fait accompli that the U.S. would be forced to accept.
However, as many countries have resisted this vision, figures in Khamenei's circle have shifted from behind-the-scenes diplomacy to open threats.
Mohabbir recently issued a statement that appeared aimed more at regional audiences than American ones: "If Iran's conditions are not met, the leadership's strategy is to make the war long, costly, intense, and regional in a way that will unequivocally change the power equations in the region."
He continued: "America has proven itself incapable of protecting the Persian Gulf. The time has come to establish a new regional arrangement for movement through Hormuz, independent of White House considerations."
