Iran has warned it will target US warships if they attempt to alter approved shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz or continue what Tehran describes as a naval blockade, further escalating tensions in the strategically vital waterway.
A senior adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mohsen Rezaei, said Tehran would not permit the opening of any alternative shipping corridor beyond the route it has authorised for vessels transiting the Strait.
“We will not allow the second corridor to open. Even if they deploy warships, we will target them,” Rezaei said in an interview with Iranian state media.
He also warned that US naval vessels and military bases would face retaliation if Washington maintained its blockade of Iran.
“There will certainly be serious dangers to US ships and bases. We will not stand by and watch the US continue the naval blockade,” he said.
The remarks came as US President Donald Trump said on Monday that negotiations with Tehran were expected to begin within the next day or two, after warning that the planned talks represented Iran’s “last chance” to reach an agreement before the prospect of devastating military strikes.
However, Tehran swiftly rejected suggestions that fresh negotiations with Washington were under way. Iranian officials said the Islamic Republic was currently engaged only in discussions with Oman over a temporary shipping arrangement for vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei reiterated that the strategically important waterway, through which around one-fifth of globally traded oil and natural gas passed before the conflict began, would remain closed until what he described as “US violations” come to an end.
The latest exchange of threats underscores the fragile security situation in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy supplies that has become increasingly volatile amid heightened military tensions in the Gulf