The Revolutionary Guards of Iran issued a statement threatening to mount a “heavily weighted attack” against US naval assets and military installations if America persists in its campaign against Iranian oil tankers and civilian vessels at sea.
This exacerbating a naval crisis that is putting a newly concluded month long ceasefire agreement at risk.
According to statements aired by the official media outlet of Iran on Saturday, the warnings followed a series of strikes conducted by US military personnel against two Iranian oil tankers that tried to evade a blockade imposed by the US Navy against Iran’s territorial waters.
The vessels that suffered from disabling attacks were named the M/T Sea Star III and M/T Sevda and had been operating without active tracking transponders for the last few weeks.
In addition to that, another vessel named the M/T Hasna was struck during an air raid conducted by an F18 aircraft of the US Navy.
War News: US confirms Strait of Hormuz clash with Iran as Tehran rolls out new rules for shipping
The Aerospace Branch of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps stated that their missiles and drones were homing in on American targets throughout the region.
Furthermore, the country’s foreign minister has rebuffed claims that Iran would back down under pressure.
According to a message from Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on X: “When there is an opportunity for diplomacy, the U.S. resorts to an unbridled military escapade.”
The tensions between both sides have made commerce via the strait difficult since around one fifth of all international oil shipments pass through it.
Hundreds of cargo ships are stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to leave.
According to Intelligence, Iran established an organization known as the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which inspects and imposes taxes on ships navigating the waterway, as described by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Allies prepare shipping mission
The British defence ministry announced the sending of the HMS Dragon ship to the area, which will prepare itself for participation in a joint multinational naval operation that will guarantee the safety of shipping in the area.
France has deployed its aircraft carrier strike force into the Red Sea, and dozens of nations have joined negotiations headed by London and Paris.
The parties noted that the operation would not be launched until there is a stable truce and the maritime community is confident that ships can pass through the strait.
The truce, signed on April 8, after the failed negotiations in Islamabad, has often been put to the test.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his government had been in contact with both sides “day and night” to keep the negotiations alive.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated Moscow’s offer to take custody of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile is still on the table.
Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, said it had detained 41 people suspected of connections to the Revolutionary Guard and channeling money to Tehran. Iran warned the kingdom in turn that backing Washington would have “severe consequences”.
