Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has said the United States will eventually be forced to leave the Middle East following what he described as “painful blows” suffered during the ongoing conflict.
Khamenei made the remarks in a written statement broadcast by Iranian state television on Monday, September 28, 2026. He did not explicitly name the United States but referred to “the enemies” and the presence of their forces in the region.
“Today, having suffered painful blows at the hands of valiant fighters and the guardians of the Strait of Hormuz, they do not venture beyond the Arabian Sea,” Khamenei said in the statement.
He added that whenever enemy forces had taken the risk of going beyond the Arabian Sea, they had only brought harm upon themselves, predicting that the waterway would soon be free of their presence.
The comments came as Iran and the United States continued indirect efforts, through mediators, to reach an agreement aimed at ending the fighting and reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
The waterway, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea, is a major global energy route and carried about a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas before the conflict began.
Iran has sought the reopening of the strait as part of a proposed agreement, while the United States has maintained pressure on Tehran through military and economic measures. Mediators, including Qatar, have continued efforts to bridge differences between the two sides.
Khamenei’s statement came shortly after US President Donald Trump said Washington would achieve victory in the conflict and indicated that talks aimed at ending the war were continuing through intermediaries.
