Iran Issues Renewed Threats to US After Recent Military Strikes

Iranian officials on Wednesday warned that the regime could close off shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and escalate attacks in the Middle East following U.S. military strikes on Iranian assets in the region a day earlier.

A statement carried by state-run PressTV said that Iran will issue a response to attempts by the United States to control the Strait of Hormuz and that Tehran will not distinguish between the U.S. military and its allies in the Middle East.

“The origin of any support for the aggressor U.S. military in its aggression against the sovereignty and territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be a legitimate target of the armed forces,” said an Iranian military command through the IRNA semi-official news agency on Wednesday, adding that Iran’s armed forces will deliver a “crushing response” following U.S. strikes or attempts to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s foreign ministry, also in a statement issued through the IRNA, said that “any cooperation in committing the crime of aggression against Iran amounts to complicity and participation in that crime.”

The statements come as the U.S. Central Command said that it struck Iranian air defense systems, command networks, radar sites, anti-ship missiles, and more than 60 boats operated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after Tehran launched attacks on three ships earlier this week. More than 80 targets were struck by U.S. forces starting Tuesday evening, the command said.

Iran’s statements and the recent strike mark an escalation of tensions in the region, following weeks of relative calm after a memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran was signed in June.

Negotiations between a U.S. delegation, including special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have been ongoing but recently paused due to Iran’s large, multi-day funeral for former Iranian leader Ali Khamenei.

The latest attacks have heightened safety and security concerns around the Strait of Hormuz, with shipping data showing that at least four oil and gas tankers have turned back rather than attempt to transit the waterway, a vital supply route. A joint military command said on Tuesday that the risk level had been raised to “severe” in light of the attacks.

Asked before a NATO summit in Turkey whether the memorandum of understanding was ​finished, Trump stated: “It’s a very interesting question. To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them.”

“They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people,” ⁠he told reporters in Ankara, referring to Iranian regime officials. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them.”

The IRGC said on Wednesday that they had targeted U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait and that they had shot down a U.S. MQ-9 drone attempting to interfere in the operation. Bahrain’s army later said ‌it had thwarted ⁠Iranian attacks.

Aside from the strikes, the U.S. Treasury Department said it revoked a temporary license that had allowed Iran to sell oil under the memorandum last month.

Reuters contributed to this report.