Iran has threatened to block additional trade routes in the region as the United States launched a new wave of military strikes, the BBC reports.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States ends what it called its “acts of aggression,” adding that other regional oil and gas export corridors could also be shut down.
The warning came as the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced it had carried out drone, air, and naval strikes against Iranian military targets on Wednesday morning, in addition to a seven-hour overnight operation.
U.S. President Donald Trump pledged that next week the United States would target Iranian bridges and power plants if Tehran does not return to negotiations.
“I’ll leave the energy targets until the end, but eventually we will strike the energy targets,” Trump said during an interview on Special Report with Bret Baier, broadcast Tuesday evening.
The escalation in rhetoric follows Trump’s announcement that the 20% transit tariff he had threatened to impose on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz would instead be replaced by “massive” trade and investment agreements with Gulf states.
On Tuesday evening, the United States also imposed a new naval blockade on Iranian ports, preventing ships from traveling to and from Iran’s ports and coastal areas.
In response, the IRGC warned the United States to “expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes serving the interests of the United States and its allies,” though it did not specify which routes could be affected.
Meanwhile, Iranian state media reported that the country’s military had carried out separate attacks on U.S. targets in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain.
U.S. allies also reported intercepting Iranian drones and missiles launched during the latest escalation.
