Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says US will be forced out of Middle East

On Monday, September 28, 2026, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei issued a written statement, carried by state television, declaring that the United States will be forced to leave the Middle East after suffering "painful blows." Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the start of the Middle East war in late February, did not name the US directly but referred to enemies who now avoid venturing beyond the Arabian Sea. He predicted that the Arabian Sea would soon be free of their presence. The statement comes despite efforts to revive talks to end the fighting.