"Our Turn To Act Without Delay": Iran's Warning After US Bombs Nuclear Sites
Hours after the United States joined Israel's war against Iran by bombing Tehran's three key nuclear sites, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of retaliation "without delay". LIVE UPDATES
Hossein Shariatmadari, Khamenei's representative, told an Iranian media that as a first step, they will launch a missile attack on the US naval fleet in Bahrain and close the Strait of Hormuz.
"It is now our turn to act without delay. As a first step, we must launch a missile strike on the US naval fleet in Bahrain and simultaneously close the Strait of Hormuz to American, British, German, and French ships," Shariatmadari said as quoted by Iran International.
Iran has previously, on multiple occasions, threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz but never followed through.
The Strait of Hormuz lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. About a fifth of the world's total oil consumption passes through the strait. OPEC members Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq export most of their crude via the strait, mainly to Asia. The US Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, is tasked with protecting commercial shipping in the area.
US responds to Strait of Hormuz closure threat
Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin warned Iran that it would "suffer the most" if it tried to close the Strait of Hormuz, adding that it might cause short-term disruptions in the oil supply to several countries and to some degree in India. According to him, if Tehran shuts the narrow waterway, it would be "committing suicide".
"40 per cent of the fuel that goes through the Strait of Hormuz ends up in Asia, most of that in China, but also to some degree in India, and so there might be a short disruption. However, there is an ability to have an alternate supply. The United States is a major supplier right now. Also, remember that Iran needs to import gasoline. So the Iranians might rhetorically talk about closing the Strait of Hormuz, but militarily, they cannot do that for more than a day," he told news agency ANI.
Ex-US Treasury Department official, Jonathan Schanzer, also warned that the US will respond with "unbelievable force" if Iran attempts to close the Strait of Hormuz.
"Any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz right now will be met with probably unbelievable force from the United States. Now that this has started, it's not that difficult to imagine the French or the Brits coming in to clear the lanes. I see the Iranians as being absolutely suicidal if they go down this route, and I do get a sense that we could be at a pivotal moment. It doesn't mean that Iran won't try to attack, but I think asymmetrically is much more likely than through conventional means," Schanzer said.
The US on Sunday bombed Tehran's three key nuclear sites - Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan - in a first-ever direct US military involvement in the conflict. It came days after US President Donald Trump said he would take as long as two weeks to decide whether the US should enter the conflict on Israel's side.
One of the Iranian nuclear sites, Fordow, was Iran's most secretive and heavily protected nuclear facility, which only the US had the firepower to destroy.
According to Trump, the American planes "completed a very successful attack".
In retaliation, Tehran launched new strikes on Israel. In a post on X, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that "sirens were sounding across Israel due to another Iranian missile launch".
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