Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has warned that the country will take revenge for the blood of its citizens. According to Iranian state television, cited by the BBC, Khamenei made the statement in his first message after being chosen as the nation’s top religious leader. He referred specifically to the attack on a girls’ school in Minab, which Iran attributes to Israel, saying 168 people were killed, including about 110 children.

Khamenei also declared that Iran would continue targeting the Hormuz Strait and advised neighboring countries to close U.S. military bases on their soil, warning that such bases could be attacked. Despite emphasizing a policy of friendship with neighboring states, his remarks underscored a hardline stance toward foreign military presence in the region.

Mojtaba Khamenei was selected by Iran’s 88-member Assembly of Experts as the third Supreme Leader following the death of Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a U.S.-Israeli strike on February 28 after leading Iran for 37 years.