Tankers burn in the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices skyrocket, new Ayatollah calls for 'avenging the blood of martyrs'

Iranian drones and missiles have struck and sunk oil tankers navigating through the Strait of Hormuz. The price of oil has shot back up, and the new Ayatollah has called for "avenging the blood of martyrs" in his first statement to the Iranian people.After a relatively quiet day on Wednesday, the Iranian war has heated back up yet again. Reports and video have shown oil tankers burning in and around the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by Iranian drones and missiles..These strikes come after comments from US President Donald Trump, who encouraged ships to make the run across the strait. When asked Wednesday if ships should take the risk, he responded, "I think they should, I think they should." He later said that the strait was in "great shape."Reports indicate that 14 commercial ships have been hit by Iranian strikes and eight sailors have been killed.Iran has also struck oil and gas facilities around the Gulf, including at the Port of Salalah in Oman, yet again damaging petroleum output from the world's most oil-rich region..As a result of this, the price of oil has shot up yet again after seeing a brief reprieve over the last couple days, with the price of West Texas Intermediate, the benchmark for Canadian oil, currently sitting at over $96 a barrel.Despite oil-producing countries, including Canada, releasing some of their oil reserves to give motorists a break at the pump, this rise in the price of oil continues, and it's unclear how long this price suppression can go on for.The continued oil boom is good for the government of Alberta's bottom-line as each dollar increase in a barrel of oil represents a roughly $700 million boost to provincial revenue.Trump has echoed this writing on his Truth Social platform that "The United States is the largest Oil Producer in the World, by far, so when oil prices go up, we make a lot of money," but qualified that "BUT, of far greater interest and importance to me, as President, is stoping an evil Empire, Iran.".The new Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, has apparently released his first statement to the nation after being appointed following the death of his father.In the statement released on Iranian state television, the Ayatollah called for "avenging the blood of martyrs" and stated that Iran must continue to use its leverage in the Strait of Hormuz to disrupt oil shipments from the Gulf.Khamenei also stated that Iran should seek to exploit "other fronts where the enemy has little experience and will be vulnerable." It is unclear what he meant by this but obviously shows that the quick beheading of the Iranian regime that the US and Israel have hoped for has not occurred.Reports from Western media sources have circulated that the Iranian leader remains in a coma, making this statement all the more emblematic of the Iranian regime's ability to withstand casualties to its top brass.Despite reports that Khamenei is in a coma and has had his leg amputated, the apparatus of the Iranian state continues to function, and drone and missile strikes continue to devastate the Middle East..Finally, the USS Gerald Ford, a US aircraft carrier, has reported a fire has occurred, which has injured two servicemen.The ship is the same that made news before the conflict started for its severe plumbing and sewage issues, resulting in waste being sloshed around its lower decks.The ship's last known location was in the Red Sea, and they reported that the fire was "non-combat" related; the two injured personnel are in stable condition, and the fire is under control.