Iran Threatens to Blockade More Oil and Gas Routes as US Launches Fresh Strikes

Tensions in the Middle East have escalated sharply after Iran threatened to blockade further regional trade routes. The move comes in response to a fresh wave of air strikes launched by the United States military against military targets in the region. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stated that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US ceases what it termed acts of aggression. Furthermore, Tehran warned that other regional oil and gas export channels serving American and allied interests are also at risk of being shut. US Central Command (Centcom) confirmed it had carried out operations using drones, aircraft, and naval forces against targets in Iran on Wednesday morning local time. The operation was a continuation of an intensive seven-hour assault conducted the previous night. President Donald Trump reinforced his hardline stance by vowing to strike Iranian civilian infrastructure, including bridges and power plants, next week if the country refuses to return to the negotiating table. “I will save the energy targets for last, but eventually we will hit those energy targets,” Trump said during an interview on Special Report with Bret Baier broadcast on Tuesday evening. The rhetorical escalation follows Trump’s announcement that a threatened 20 per cent tariff on the Strait of Hormuz would be replaced by a massive trade and investment deal with Gulf states. Meanwhile, a new US blockade on Iranian ports came into effect on Tuesday night, prohibiting transit vessels from entering or leaving Iran’s coastal areas. In response, the IRGC warned the US to prepare for the closure of additional oil and gas export routes. Iranian state media reported that the national army launched separate retaliatory strikes against US targets in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. US allies in the region confirmed intercepting several drones and missiles launched from Iranian territory. The Kuwaiti military reported intercepting an attack drone early on Wednesday, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens as a precautionary measure. Centcom stated that the latest wave of strikes was designed to further degrade military capabilities used by Iranian forces to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Tuesday night’s strikes reportedly hit dozens of military targets near the strategic waterway. The Iranian military confirmed that at least seven of its personnel were killed in a US strike on a base in Bampur, southeastern Iran. The situation across the region remains highly fluid, with both sides maintaining heightened military readiness.