US forces confirmed on Tuesday their willingness to resume military operations against Iran if ordered to do so, with the Pentagon threatening a “devastating” response to any attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
These warnings came after Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf asserted that Tehran “has not yet begun” its escalation in this vital trade route.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed a “decisive response” to any ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz without adhering to the designated route.
This followed the UAE’s announcement that it had intercepted a barrage of missiles and drones launched from Iran for the second consecutive day, on Tuesday, a claim denied by Tehran.
Since the outbreak of war in the Middle East following a joint US-Israeli attack on Iran, Tehran has controlled the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil production and significant quantities of liquefied natural gas typically pass.
Faced with this situation, which has driven oil prices to their highest levels since 2022, Washington has pressured Tehran to reopen the waterway.
After imposing a naval blockade on Iranian ports, the US launched Operation Freedom on Monday to escort ships stranded in the Gulf out through the strait.
