{"id":326675,"date":"2026-03-12T22:39:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T22:39:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/326675\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T22:39:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T22:39:16","slug":"irans-new-leader-vows-to-keep-up-attacks-in-first-public-statement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/326675\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran’s new leader vows to keep up attacks in first public statement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Iran\u2019s secretive new supreme leader on Thursday (local time) vowed to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries and use the effective closure of the strategic Strait of Hormuz<\/a> as leverage against the United States and Israel. It was his first public statement since being chosen to succeed his father, who was killed in an Israeli strike.<\/p>\n

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei<\/a>, 56, who Israel suspects was wounded in the opening salvo of the war, has not appeared in public since then. In the statement read by a state TV news anchor, he vowed to avenge those killed in the war, including in a strike on a school that killed over 165 people.<\/p>\n

The statement signalled a willingness to continue the war that has disrupted global energy supplies<\/a>, international travel<\/a> and the relative safety enjoyed by the Gulf Arab states. Iran\u2019s unrelenting attacks on shipping traffic and energy infrastructure in the Persian Gulf had earlier pushed oil back above $100 a barrel.<\/a><\/p>\n

Both sides dig in as fighting escalates<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An oil tanker burns after being hit by an Iranian strike in the ship-to-ship transfer zone at Khor al-Zubair port near Basra, Iraq, late Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

US and Israeli strikes have exacted a heavy toll on Iran\u2019s leadership, military and ballistic missile program but have failed to topple the government, which US President Donald Trump has at times suggested is his goal<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Iran is trying to inflict enough global economic pain to pressure the United States and Israel to halt their bombardment, which began on February 28. Those strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei \u2014 Mojtaba’s father \u2014 and the younger Khamenei’s wife.<\/p>\n

What life is like for ordinary people in Iran – Mava Moayyed explains, watch on TVNZ+<\/a><\/p>\n

Trump has meanwhile promised to \u201cfinish the job,\u201d even though he claimed Iran is \u201cvirtually destroyed\u201d. He said in a social media post Thursday that ensuring Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon was a higher priority than soaring oil prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, meanwhile, launched some 200 rockets from Lebanon at northern Israel while sirens rang out and loud booms from the interception of Iranian missiles could be heard in other areas. Israel launched another wave of attacks on Tehran and in Lebanon, where 11 people were killed.<\/p>\n

The UN refugee agency said up to 3.2 million people in Iran have been displaced by the ongoing war. It said most have fled from Tehran and other major cities toward the north of the country or rural areas. Around 800,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon, prompting fears of a humanitarian crisis.<\/p>\n

Khamenei warns of ‘opening other fronts’ if war continues<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A mourner holds a poster depicting Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, the successor to his late father Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, as supreme leader, during the funeral procession for senior Iranian military officials and civilians. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

Khamenei’s first statement signalled a continuation of his late father\u2019s strategy in confronting the United States and Israel. He called on Gulf Arabs to \u201cshut down\u201d US bases in the region, saying protection promised by Washington was \u201cnothing more than a lie\u201d.<\/p>\n

He also said Iran has studied \u201copening other fronts in which the enemy has little experience and would be highly vulnerable\u201d if the war continues. He did not elaborate, but Iran has been linked to previous attacks on US, Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.<\/p>\n

Khamenei is close to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and is widely seen as even less compromising than his father. His location is unknown, and he is likely a prime target for the US and Israel.<\/p>\n

In addition to attacking energy infrastructure across the region, Iran has also effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway leading from the Persian Gulf toward the Indian Ocean through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil flows.<\/p>\n

The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose another 9% to more than $100 a barrel, up some 38% over what it cost when the war started. Prices have swung back and forth in recent days, at one point surging to around $120 a barrel.<\/p>\n

Israel and Hezbollah trade heavy fire<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People inspect homes damaged by a projectile launched from Lebanon, in Haniel central Israel, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

It was a sleepless night for many in Israel and Lebanon as Hezbollah launched some 200 rockets into Israel, according to the Israeli military. Israeli warplanes carried out simultaneous airstrikes on areas in Beirut\u2019s southern suburbs and struck a car near the capital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe noise was extraordinary, it was really scary,\u201d said Naama Porat, a resident of the rural Israeli community of Klil, some 15 kilometres from the Lebanese border. As the sound of explosions and interceptions rang out, she dashed with her son to a shelter and spent the night there.<\/p>\n

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Lebanon that if its government does not prevent Hezbollah from attacking, Israel \u201cwill take the territory and do it ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lebanon\u2019s Government has ramped up calls for Hezbollah to disarm since the group\u2019s last war with Israel was halted by a 2024 ceasefire, and earlier this month declared Hezbollah\u2019s military activities illegal. But it has been reluctant to confront the militants directly.<\/p>\n

More than 20 killed in strikes on Lebanon and Iran<\/p>\n

\"Smoke<\/p>\n

Smoke rises from a building targeted by an Israeli strike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

The Israeli military struck a building in a busy residential and commercial district in central Beirut after issuing a warning for residents to evacuate. The strike hit in a neighbourhood that is close to Lebanon\u2019s parliament, United Nations offices and international embassies.<\/p>\n

Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said they were targeting a \u201cfacility affiliated with Hezbollah\u201d.<\/p>\n

Israel earlier hit a car in a seaside area of Lebanon’s capital, killing eight and wounding 31, the Lebanese Health Ministry said. The Israeli military said it was \u201cnot aware\u201d of a strike at that location.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s military on Thursday warned residents of an even larger area of southern Lebanon to leave their homes. It said they should move north of the Zahrani River, which at its midpoint is about 56 kilometres away from the border with Israel.<\/p>\n

Separately, Israel said it struck a nuclear facility in Iran in recent days that it had destroyed with an airstrike in October 2024. Earlier this year, satellite photos raised concerns that Iran was working to restore the facility.<\/p>\n

The US and Israel say that destroying whatever remains of Iran’s nuclear program is one of the central aims of the war. They have long suspected Iran seeks nuclear weapons, while the Islamic Republic says its nuclear program is peaceful.<\/p>\n

Iran fires at Gulf Arab countries and hits ship in Persian Gulf<\/p>\n

\"Workers<\/p>\n

Workers inspect damage caused by a drone strike overnight at the Address Creek Harbour hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 12, 2026. (Source: Associated Press)<\/p>\n

British officials said several US personnel were injured in drone strikes in northern Iraq on Wednesday night.<\/p>\n

Brigadier Guy Foden said a number of drones hit a base in Erbil that houses both British and American troops. Another officer, Lieutenant General Nick Perry, said there were no British casualties, while the US sustained some casualties but \u201cnothing too serious\u201d.<\/p>\n

Early Thursday, a container ship was hit with a projectile off the coast of Dubai, sparking a small fire, according to the British military\u2019s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre. It said the crew were safe.<\/p>\n

An Iranian attack sparked a major fire on Muharraq Island, home to Bahrain’s international airport. Kuwait authorities said an Iranian drone smashed into a residential building, wounding two people, and that a drone damaged Kuwait International Airport but caused no casualties.<\/p>\n

The UAE said it had activated air defences twice to protect the futuristic city of Dubai from attacks, and firefighters extinguished a blaze at a tower after a drone hit.<\/p>\n

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, said it shot down a drone targeting the diplomatic quarter in its capital, Riyadh, and other drones in the east, including at least one trying to target its Shaybah oil field.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s latest attacks on its Gulf neighbours flouted a UN Security Council resolution approved Wednesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Iran\u2019s secretive new supreme leader on Thursday (local time) vowed to keep up attacks on Gulf Arab countries…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326676,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,5107,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-326675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-middle-east","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}