Iran threatens to close Strait of Hormuz if US attacks again

Iran has threatened to completely close the Strait of Hormuz if new attacks are launched against its territory, amid renewed escalation with the United States. “The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed to all maritime traffic in the event of any attack on Iran,” a security source with knowledge of the matter told Press TV on Wednesday. The source added that Iran would also strike “enemy targets at a ratio of at least two to one” — meaning that for every Iranian target hit, at least two enemy targets would be attacked in retaliation. US President Donald Trump previously said the US “might” strike Iran again on Wednesday evening, following US attacks on Tuesday in retaliation for strikes on vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also said a memorandum of understanding signed last month with Iran to end the conflict had “expired.” “Any threat will be met with a firm response. Iran makes no distinction between the United States and its partners in the region,” the source said. The security source also stressed that Tehran would not stop managing the Strait of Hormuz and was “ready to fight to maintain control over the strategic waterway.” “The memorandum of understanding signed on this matter clearly states that Iran will reopen the strait according to its own arrangements. Therefore, Iran will not allow the establishment of new routes outside the framework of its own arrangements,” the source said. On Wednesday morning, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had launched missile and drone strikes targeting 85 US military sites in the Middle East, including Salman Port and the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait. The strikes came after the US military’s Central Command said it had conducted its latest strikes against Iran, hitting more than 80 targets in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.