Iran’s Khamenei calls for Gulf unity as Hormuz tensions persist

Khamenei urges Gulf rulers to confront their ‘real enemy’ as Iran keeps the Strait of Hormuz restricted amid stalled diplomacy.Published On 30 Aug 202630 Aug 2026Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has urged Gulf leaders to identify their “real enemy” and confront it, as Tehran maintains its hard line over the Strait of Hormuz, while regional mediators push for renewed diplomacy.“My emphatic and repeated recommendation to the rulers of Islamic countries, especially the countries of West Asia and the Gulf, is to identify your real enemy, understand his plan and confront it,” Khamenei said in a message published on Sunday to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Six months into the Iran war, a new Gulf security architecture is emerginglist 2 of 4Iran’s leaders acknowledge economic toll of war, pledge diplomacy, defencelist 3 of 4What’s behind the US deal to seize control of Venezuelan oil reserves?list 4 of 4Mapping Iran war’s strikes on Gulf energy and its impact on future of oilend of listKhamenei has not appeared publicly since the US-Israeli attacks on February 28 that killed his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali ...