Iran tells US Navy not to return to Gulf waters
Brent crude hit $117 as Iranian generals warned of attacks on American ships and President Trump considered new strikes.
By Sakura Novak ·
Iran's armed forces told the United States Navy on Saturday that it cannot re-enter the Persian Gulf or surrounding waters. Ali Abdollahi, the chief of general staff, made the declaration in a statement released by state media. He said Iran can target any vessel in the region, limiting the reach of American warships.
The warning came as Brent crude prices climbed to about $117 a barrel. This is the highest level since April. The price spike reflects the renewed threat of war and ongoing attacks on shipping lanes. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that seven tankers were attacked or hit mines overnight into Thursday. The group claimed two supertankers struck mines on Friday.
President Donald Trump addressed the situation at a rally in Florida on Friday. He said the US military may launch another operation called Epic Fury, a reference to the large bombing campaign that started the war in February. Trump has been weighing whether to end the fighting with massive strikes or keep the naval blockade and sanctions in place to pressure Tehran.
Abdollahi criticized the US position as contradictory. He argued that Washington claims Iran's military is largely destroyed, yet it refuses to move its aircraft carriers closer to Iranian territory. The general said Iranian forces intend to drown the US and Israel in a quagmire in return for the surprise attack that began the eight-month conflict.
Fighting continued on other fronts. The Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen struck Riyadh on Saturday. This followed recent attacks on Dammam's international airport and the Shaybah oilfield. In southern Lebanon, Israeli air strikes hit areas around Nabatieh and Zawtar ash-Sharqiyah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a lockdown of the West Bank after two soldiers were killed in Hebron.
Diplomats from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt met with counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, and Italy in Istanbul on Friday. Neither the US nor Iran attended the talks. Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said a new attack on Iran would widen the war. The regional ministers backed a memorandum signed in Islamabad and demanded unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
Iranian state media claimed Tehran has activated a dead hand doctrine. This would allow attacks on US and Israeli interests to continue from all 31 provinces if senior leaders are assassinated. Analyst Reza Nasri wrote on X that Iran will no longer negotiate under bombardment and will end the cycle by all necessary means.
