Iran threatens to close Strait of Hormuz if US attacks again
Iran has threatened to fully close the Strait of Hormuz if a new attack is carried out against its territory, amid renewed escalation with the United States.
“The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed to all maritime traffic if there is any attack on Iran,” a security source familiar with the matter told Press TV on Wednesday (8 July).
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 affected by an attack, at least two enemy targets would be attacked in retaliation.
US President Donald Trump had earlier said that the US “may” attack Iran again on Wednesday night, following an American strike on Tuesday (7 July) in response to attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also said that the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran last month to end the conflict had “ended”.
“Any threat will be met with a firm response. Iran does not distinguish between the United States and its partners in this 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 in accordance with 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 attacks targeting 85 US military locations 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 attacks came after the US military’s Central Command said it had carried out its latest strike against Iran, hitting more than 80 targets in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.