Iran Protests US Jet and Drone Presence in Strait of Hormuz

The Iranian military has strongly protested the continuous presence of American military aircraft, both manned and unmanned, over the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic waterway that is a point of contention between the conflicting nations of Tehran and Washington. Tehran warned that the presence of US fighter jets and drones in the vital waterway for global oil and gas supplies threatens regional security. The Iranian military also asserted, as reported by Middle East Monitor on Friday (3/7/2026), that it would give a ‘rapid and firm’ response to any American interference in the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement reported by the Fars News Agency on Thursday (2/7), the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters – Iran’s joint military operations command – said the continuous presence of US fighter jets and drones over the Strait of Hormuz ‘has created insecurity in this waterway and will threaten the security of the region’. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters stressed that Iran ‘will not hesitate to take any action’ to repel ‘any aggression and violation by the US military and its supporters in order to defend its sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz’. ‘Any American interference in the Strait of Hormuz will be met with a firm and rapid response by the Armed Forces (of Iran),’ the statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters described the Strait of Hormuz as ‘the sovereign territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran’, and that the security and stability of the strategic waterway is a ‘red line’ for the Iranian military. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters added in its statement that all oil tankers and commercial vessels must use the navigation routes established by Iran when passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to the statement, any vessel failing to comply with the navigation routes or protocols set by Tehran will face a ‘direct and firm response’ from the Iranian Armed Forces and risk endangering their own security. Iran and the US signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in mid-June, which provided for a previously agreed 60-day ceasefire, the lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Technical negotiations to follow up on the MoU were held recently, mediated by Pakistan and Qatar. The negotiations will resume after Iran completes the funeral ceremonies for their former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The technical negotiations will include a consensus on the status of Iran’s nuclear programme and seek to end the conflict permanently.