Iran and U.S. enforce competing blockades in Strait of Hormuz
In a series of social media posts Saturday, Khamenei accused the United States of repeatedly violating a memorandum of understanding that the two countries’ presidents had signed. Writing on X, he said, “Today, the Great Satan has once again revealed its true, unmasked face, so that this dark episode of criminality and broken promises serves as yet another indisputable testament to the U.S.’s dishonesty, irrationality, unreliability, and malicious nature.”
Another post on the platform read, “Coercion, totalitarianism, and brutality are inseparable components of the U.S. creed and doctrine.” On his Telegram channel, Khamenei delivered a similar message: “The Great Satan has once again revealed its malicious nature.”
Khamenei directly addressed the status of the diplomatic accord, saying, “The repeated breaches of the agreement by the Great Satan regarding the memorandum of understanding signed by the Presidents of Iran and the United States have once again laid bare a fundamental truth: the signature of the U.S. President is utterly worthless and devoid of credibility. It further reaffirms that coercion, totalitarianism, and brutality are inseparable components of the U.S. creed and doctrine.”
The epithet “Great Satan” was coined by Iran’s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in November 1979, one day after 66 American diplomats and civilians were taken hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran. Most of those hostages were held for 444 days.
Khamenei’s remarks came as Iran and the United States have increased military strikes in the region for the past week. Both countries are enforcing blockades in the Strait of Hormuz: Iran is preventing ships from passing, and the United States is blocking Iranian ships and ports. The strait is a critical waterway for global oil and gas transport, according to the wire report.
President Donald Trump had not yet posted a response on his own social media platform as of the wire report’s filing.