US Expansion Beyond Arabian Sea Backfired, Says Khamenei

Iran's supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Monday the United States would be forced to leave the Middle East after suffering "painful blows," according to a statement carried by state television. Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the start of the Middle East war in late February, made the remarks despite attempts to revive talks aimed at ending the fighting. He claimed enemies "do not venture beyond the Arabian Sea" and that doing so has only brought them harm. The Arabian Sea is a vital maritime corridor leading to Iran's coasts and the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran blockaded after the war began with US-Israeli strikes in February. Washington responded with its own blockade on Iranian ports.