Iran’s Supreme Leader just told the Gulf states their land will no longer be used as a base for American military power.
Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran’s new Supreme Leader, made the declaration today in a 14-page written statement marking the Eid al-Adha holiday. It is his first major public message since taking office in March, after his father Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening US-Israeli strikes on February 28.
His words were direct. “The hands of time will not turn backwards, and the nations and lands of the region will no longer serve as shields for American bases.”
This is not a threat made from a position of defeat. Iran has been at war with the United States and Israel for three months. The Strait of Hormuz, through which one fifth of the world’s oil passes, remains disrupted. Ceasefire negotiations are ongoing. And yet Iran’s leadership is not asking for an exit. It is announcing terms.
The US currently operates military infrastructure across at least 19 locations in the region, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE.
What Khamenei is describing is a fundamental reshaping of the Middle East’s political order. Whether it happens or not, the old arrangement is being openly challenged for the first time in decades.
The world is watching. So should Africa.
If this shift happens, the global power map changes. Follow Historical Africa for analysis that connects the dots.
#HistoricalAfrica #IranUSWar #MiddleEast #Khamenei #GeopoliticsAfrica