IRAN threatened to block further trading routes in the Strait of Hormuz region yesterday as the US launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran’s ‘military targets’.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the Strait of Hormuz would remain shut until the US ends its ‘acts of aggression’ and said other regional oil and gas export channels could also be closed.
The warning came as the US military’s Central Command (Centcom) said it had carried out drone, air and navy strikes on Iran on Wednesday morning, in addition to a seven-hour operation overnight.
US President Donald Trump vowed to strike Iran’s bridges and power plants next week if ‘the country does not return to talks’.
‘I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,’ Trump claimed.
This rhetoric came after Trump did a U-turn over a 20% toll he had threatened to impose in the Strait of Hormuz, but would now be replaced by ‘massive’ trade and investment deals with the Gulf states.
A renewed US blockade on Iranian ports was imposed on Tuesday evening, which stops vessels from transiting to and from Iranian ports and coastal areas.
In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned the US that it should ‘expect the closure of other oil and gas export routes that serve the interests of the United States and its allies’. It did not elaborate on which routes could be affected.
Meanwhile, Iran’s state-run broadcaster reported that the country’s army had carried out separate attacks on US targets in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
The US allies also said they intercepted drones and missiles launched from Iran.
• Chatham House in London has warned that Trump’s governance through Truth Social and his abrupt policy reversals have sidelined and undermined Washington’s official diplomacy, making it difficult for allies and partners to rely on US diplomatic messaging.
In an analysis, Marc Weller, Director of the Centre for International Law at Chatham House, wrote, ‘Trump’s governance by Truth Social has undercut’ the US position on key foreign policy issues, adding that the president’s ‘almost immediate change of heart highlights how capricious the US president remains and how little can be invested in the statements of his most senior diplomatic officials.’
Weller was referring to Trump’s July 13 announcement that the United States would act as the ‘guardian’ of the Strait of Hormuz and charge a 20 per cent toll.
However Trump’s proposal had lacked any legal basis under international law and would have increased the cost of passage for a large oil tanker by as much as $30 million.
It also created the impression that Washington was ‘seeking to make money out of an emergency suffered by others,’ including countries dependent on energy and essential imports.
The Chatham House expert argued that ‘this U-turn will not undo the damage his fees threat has done to trust in the US, and to its supposedly principled position in defence of free maritime transit through international straits.’
Iran condemns UK for attack on Revolutionary Guards Corps
IRAN’S foreign ministry has strongly condemned the British government’s decision to designate the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a security threat under the United Kingdom’s National Security Act, describing the move as hostile, unjustified, and in violation of international law.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ministry said the IRGC is an integral part of the Islamic Republic’s official Armed Forces and, alongside the Army, is responsible for safeguarding Iran’s territorial integrity, national sovereignty, and national security.
The statement said the IRGC’s role in defending Iran and contributing to regional peace and security, particularly through its fight against the Daesh terrorist group, is well known.
The ministry described London’s decision to label an official institution of a sovereign state as a ‘security threat’ as ‘provocative’ and contrary to international law and the United Nations Charter.
It added that the move comes at a time when West Asia is facing heightened tensions as a result of the ‘lawlessness’ of the United States and the Israeli regime.
The statement further said Britain lacks the moral standing to accuse other countries given its history of colonial intervention and interference in the internal affairs of other nations in different parts of the world, particularly in the West Asia region, as well as Britain’s complicity in the recent US-Israeli aggression against Iran.
The ministry said that Britain has taken ‘the hostile action’ against Iran based on ‘unfounded security allegations’ at a time when it hosts and supports terrorist and violent groups.