Iran threatens to target US warships in Strait of Hormuz over route changes
Iran has warned that it will target any US warship attempting to enforce an alternative route through the Strait of Hormuz, as Washington pushes for talks while Tehran denies new negotiations.
Iran’s senior adviser to the supreme leader, Mohsen Rezaei, said on Monday that any US warship trying to impose a route other than the one Tehran has approved for vessels crossing the Strait of Hormuz would be targeted. In an interview with Iranian state media, he said a second corridor would not be opened, and even if US warships were deployed, they would be attacked.
Rezaei also warned of strikes against US ships and bases if the naval blockade of Iran continued. He said there would “certainly be serious dangers” to US forces and that Iran would not passively watch the blockade continue.
The warning came as President Donald Trump said he expected negotiations to begin within the next day or two, after calling the planned talks with Tehran the “last chance” for Iran to reach a deal before devastating strikes. Iran immediately denied that any new negotiations were taking place. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said Tehran was only working with Oman on a temporary shipping route through the strait. He insisted the waterway, through which about a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas had flowed before the war, would remain closed until US violations ended.
