Mojtaba Khamenei's Alleged Demands and Threats to the US

At 11:47 p.m. last night,

Mojtaba Khamenei addressed the Iranian people for 12 minutes,

but he was not speaking to the Iranian people.

Every word was aimed directly at Washington.

For the first six minutes, he recited a list of what he called American crimes:

the assassination of his father, the killing of Iranian scientists,

the decades of sanctions, the support for Israel,

the occupation of Arab lands by American forces.

It was standard rhetoric.

Then, at the seven-minute mark, his tone shifted.

He stopped talking about the past and started talking about the future.

He laid out three demands.

The full text of these demands was transmitted to the State Department through Switzerland.

Most major networks reported that Iran called for American withdrawal from the Middle East.

That is accurate but incomplete.

What they did not report is the specific language Khamenei used

and the exact timeline he gave.

Demand one:

All American military forces must begin withdrawal from Iraq,

Syria, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates,

and Saudi Arabia within 30 days.

Not eventually, not after negotiations, within 30 days.

Demand two:

The United States must lift every sanction imposed on Iran since 1979,

including all banking restrictions, all oil export limitations,

and all technology transfer bans within 60 days.

Demand three:

The United States must pay reparations to Iran

for what Khamenei called the economic war

that has cost Iran over $800 billion in lost revenue

over the past four decades.

He set the figure at $500 billion to be paid over 10 years.

Then came the part that has the Pentagon in crisis mode.

Khamenei said if these demands are not met,

Iran will take three specific actions.

Action one:

Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz to all commercial shipping

effective immediately upon the expiration of the 30-day deadline.

Action two:

Iran will activate what he called defensive military partnerships

with Russia and China,

including the possibility of foreign military bases on Iranian soil.

Action three:

Iran will exercise its right under international law

to develop and deploy a full-spectrum nuclear deterrent capability.

He did not say Iran would pursue a nuclear weapon.

He said Iran would deploy one.

That language matters. It suggests they already have it.

While Khamenei was delivering this address, something else was happening.

Chinese state media released a statement at exactly 1:15 a.m. Eastern Time,

90 minutes after Khamenei finished speaking.

The statement said China recognizes Iran's legitimate security concerns

and supports Iran's right to defend itself against foreign aggression.

It called for immediate negotiations based on respect for Iranian sovereignty.

Russia issued a similar statement 40 minutes later.

Both countries used language that essentially endorsed Iran's position.

Why did Iran do this? Follow the power.

Mojtaba Khamenei is not his father.

Ali Khamenei spent decades balancing different factions inside Iran.

He negotiated, he compromised, he played a long game.

Mojtaba does not have that luxury.

He was installed by the military.

The IRGC put him in power.

They expect him to deliver results.

Sources inside Iranian opposition groups say Mojtaba

and the IRGC leadership had a meeting within hours of his appointment.

The message was clear:

We made you Supreme Leader. You will give us what we want.

What they want is the complete removal of American influence from the region,

the economic resources to rebuild Iran's military,

and the international legitimacy that comes from forcing the United States

to negotiate as an equal.

This shifts power from Washington to Tehran

in a way that has not happened since 1979.

For four decades, the United States has dictated terms to Iran.

Sanctions, pressure, isolation, military threats.

Iran had no leverage. Now they have leverage.

Seven American soldiers dead. Oil at $121.

A leaked Pentagon document saying the war is unwinnable.

China and Russia openly backing Iran's position.

The Strait of Hormuz as a loaded gun pointed at the global economy.

Mojtaba Khamenei is not begging for negotiations.

He is demanding surrender.

What historians will call this moment

depends entirely on what happens next 72 hours.

If the United States accepts negotiations on Iran's terms,

it will be remembered as the end of American dominance in the Middle East.

If the United States rejects negotiations and the war continues,

it will be remembered as the beginning of an unwinnable conflict

that drained American resources and credibility for years.

This is not a minor foreign policy challenge.

This is a fundamental restructuring of global power.

The global economy is pricing in the possibility

that Iran actually follows through.

And here is what makes this worse.