Iran’s newly installed supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on Friday that the country had dealt its enemies a “dizzying blow” in the war with the United States and Israel, as fresh blasts struck Tehran on the first day of the Persian New Year festival, Nowruz. Khamenei, who has not appeared in public since being named to succeed his father Ali Khamenei, issued the comment in a written Nowruz message in which he praised national unity and declared “the enemy has been defeated.”
The remark came as explosions were reported in eastern and northern Tehran and as Iranians observed a muted Nowruz, now approaching the fourth week of a conflict that began after Israeli airstrikes killed Ali Khamenei on February 28. AFP journalists in the capital heard several blasts on Friday. Market stalls saw shoppers buying clothes and gifts, but pavements were less crowded than usual as many people fled north, AFP correspondents said.
Israel accused Tehran of an “attack on the holy sites” in Jerusalem after a blast in the Old City left a crater a few hundred metres from the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Western Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Israeli military blamed “Iranian missile fragments” for the blast, while the foreign ministry said the strike “reveals the madness of the Iranian regime.” It was not immediately clear whether a missile had been intercepted or what its intended target was.
Israel also confirmed this week that Ismaeil Ahmadi, chief of Iran’s Basij paramilitary force, was “eliminated” in a strike that reportedly killed Iran’s top commander. Israeli strikes have extended beyond the capital, targeting a northern region around the Caspian Sea that is popular with holidaymakers.
The conflict has shaken global energy markets. Iran has largely closed the Strait of Hormuz and struck energy infrastructure across the Gulf. Drone attacks on Friday hit Kuwait’s Mina Al-Ahmadi refinery, causing a fire that was later controlled, following a direct hit the previous day on Qatar’s Ras Laffan natural gas complex. Qatar’s state energy company said the Ras Laffan damage could cost about $20 billion a year in lost revenue and take five years to repair.
U.S. President Donald Trump renewed his public rebuke of NATO allies on Truth Social, calling them “cowards” for refusing his request to send military hardware to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and posting: “So easy for them to do, with so little risk. COWARDS, and we will REMEMBER!” The White House said the U.S. military could “take out” Kharg Island if it chose; U.S. media reported up to 2,500 additional Marines are being deployed to the Middle East. Kharg, about 30 kilometres off the Iranian coast, handles almost all of Iran’s crude exports.
Analysts warn that damage to Gulf energy facilities could keep global prices elevated, raising inflation and slowing growth. Governments are taking measures to blunt the fallout: Spain announced a five-billion-euro package, including a VAT cut on petrol. The war, which has killed thousands and displaced millions, has also spread to Lebanon, where the health ministry said the death toll from Israeli airstrikes has surpassed 1,000.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/iran-war-mojtaba-khamenei-says-iran-dealt-enemies-dizzying-blow-11245294#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-03-21 01:24:00
