Khamenei adviser warns Israel and threatens strategic shipping chokepoints

Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, posted a warning on X saying, “The zero hour is near, missile launchers are ready.” In the same message, he threatened that if what he called “the Israeli injustice in Lebanon” did not end, Iran would target the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab.

Velayati said those chokepoints would be used to “squeeze your economic arteries to the point of strategic suffocation,” framing the threat as pressure on critical global shipping routes. The comments were made publicly on social media and did not include any further details about timing, targets, or how Iran might act.

The remarks come amid rising regional tensions tied to Lebanon and Israel, with Velayati presenting the warning as a direct escalation if the fighting or pressure there continues.