Iran War
A police officer stands guard in front of a banner with portraits of the late Iranian revolutionary founder Ayatollah Khomeini, left, and late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a state-organised rally celebrating the birthday of Imam Reza, the 8th Shiite Muslims' Imam, and supporting the supreme leader, in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, April 29, 2026.
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Iran's supreme leader says the Islamic Republic will protect its nuclear and missile capabilities as a national asset. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei made the statement Thursday, likely drawing a hard line as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks a wider deal to cement the war's shaky three-week ceasefire. Khamenei also said Americans belong “at the bottom” of the Persian Gulf. His remarks come as Iran's oil industry is struggling under a U.S. Navy blockade and as the global economy feels the strain of Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. World oil prices surged above $126 a barrel on Thursday. The Trump administration is trying to persuade other nations to help reopen the strait.
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