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Former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander and senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, Mohsen Rezaei, described the Strait of Hormuz as more important for Iran than "dozens of nuclear bombs," pledging that the Islamic Republic would protect the strategic waterway.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran will protect the strait," Rezaei said at a memorial ceremony in Bojnurd on Sunday, after the IRGC again declared the Strait of Hormuz closed following fresh U.S. strikes.
He also threatened U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with "decisive and proportionate punishment," saying they had crossed the Islamic Republic's red lines over the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Rezaei portrayed retaliation as an inseparable part of the Islamic Revolution, arguing that Iran had entered a new historical phase after the conflict that began on Feb. 28.
"Our nation's emotions have been attacked. They killed our father," he said, according to the ISNA News Agency. "How can such an act be carried out against the Iranian nation from the other side of the world, while under international law nations have the right to defend their rights?"
The senior adviser also praised the turnout at the funeral, claiming international media could not ignore the scale of the ceremonies.
Rezaei also dismissed recent U.S. promises of investment and reconstruction, referring to reports that surfaced after Washington and Tehran reached a framework agreement under which Iran could gain access to a proposed $300 billion Reconstruction and Development Fund backed by private investors and Gulf states.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance had earlier presented the initiative as an incentive for Tehran to comply with a final agreement, emphasizing that it would rely on private capital rather than American taxpayer money or direct U.S. government funding.
Arguing that Washington could not claim to support Iran's reconstruction while simultaneously backing military action against the country, Rezaei dismissed the proposal as contradictory.
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