Tehran, Iran - Iran's new supreme leader ordered the vital Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane to remain closed on Thursday and vowed to avenge the victims of the war launched by the US and Israel.

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured in the air strike that killed his father and immediate family, has yet to appear publicly since his nomination last Sunday as supreme leader. His defiant message was read by a newscaster on state TV.

Khamenei called for the Strait of Hormuz to remain blocked and for Gulf countries to close their US military bases.

"The lever of blocking the Strait of Hormuz must definitely be used," he said of the waterway through which a quarter of world's oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually transit.

He added that "a limited amount of" Iran's revenge for US and Israeli strikes had "taken concrete form, but until it is fully achieved, this case will remain among our priorities."

Iran launched a new wave of attacks against Gulf energy targets on Thursday that sent prices oil spiking briefly above $100 a barrel and led to a warning that the crisis could lead to "the largest supply disruption" in history.

Images from Bahrain on Thursday showed thick smoke rising after a strike on fuel tanks in Muharraq, with residents told to stay inside and close their windows.

Drones caused damage again at Kuwait's international airport and in downtown Dubai, while Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted drones headed towards its Shaybah oil field and its embassy district.

Shipping in and around the Strait of Hormuz remains at a near-standstill, with another three vessels attacked in the Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and Iraq.

US President Donald Trump's energy secretary, Chris Wright, admitted Thursday that the US Navy was "not ready" to escort any oil tankers through the crucial waterway.