Iran's supreme leader says U.S. will be forced out of West Asia, state TV reports

Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, said on Monday (September 28, 2026) that the United States would be forced to leave West Asia after suffering "painful blows", according to a written statement carried by Iranian state television.

Mr. Khamenei has not been seen in public since the war in West Asia began in late February. The statement attributed to him was broadcast even as diplomatic efforts continued to revive talks aimed at ending the fighting.

"Today, having suffered painful blows at the hands of valiant fighters and the guardians of the Strait of Hormuz, they [the enemies] do not venture beyond the Arabian Sea," the statement said. Mr. Khamenei did not name the United States explicitly.

"Whenever they have braved this risk, they have only brought harm upon themselves. It will not be long before the Arabian Sea, too, would rid itself of their presence," he added.

The remarks were carried by Iranian state television, as have been earlier statements attributed to Mr. Khamenei during the conflict. Independent confirmation of the statement, or of his condition and whereabouts, was not immediately available. Such statements represent official Iranian positions.

The Arabian Sea stretches from the Arabian Peninsula eastward towards India. It is a vital maritime corridor that leads to Iran's coastline and to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel through which the Gulf region's oil and gas exports are shipped.

Iran and the United States have been vying for control of Hormuz since the war began with U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran in February. Before the fighting started, the strategic shipping route carried about a fifth of the world's oil and gas.

Tehran imposed a blockade on Hormuz after the war started, prompting Washington to respond with its own blockade on Iranian ports. The two measures have put the waterway at the centre of the conflict.

Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, and is the only sea outlet from the Gulf. That geography gives whoever controls the strait unusual influence over global energy supplies. Because roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas passed through it before the war, disruption there is felt far beyond West Asia, in fuel prices, freight costs and the economies of importing countries, including India, which buys a large share of its crude oil from the region.

Before the latest escalation, the strait was the world's most important oil chokepoint, with tankers carrying crude, condensate and liquefied natural gas to buyers in Asia, Europe and beyond. Ships entering or leaving the Gulf have no alternative sea route, which is why the status of the waterway has been a central question in every round of the fighting.

Mr. Khamenei's statement did not indicate any shift in Iran's position, and gave no detail on the state of the negotiations. It made no mention of the talks, or of any conditions Iran might set for them, leaving the diplomatic picture unclear.

Claims about military gains on either side have been difficult to verify independently throughout the conflict, and both sides have publicised accounts that suit their positions. Readers are advised to treat such claims, including those made in state media broadcasts, with caution until corroborated by independent sources.