Iran’s supreme leader on Thursday issued a defiant salvo in response to American pressure over the Strait of Hormuz, as US President Donald Trump weighed his options amid the stalemate.

The statement from Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not been seen in public since the killing of his father at the war’s onset, reflected how both countries believe they have the upper hand, The Washington Post wrote, further straining the global economy.

“A battle of blockades is a bet on the clock: we can hold out longer than they can,” a foreign policy analyst wrote.

Trump is reportedly pursuing an international coalition to enable ships to transit the strait, and he is being briefed on military options, too.