Iran says response to further attacks will be ‘more painful’

Iran said it will step up efforts to tackle problems created by the US sanctions that are crippling ‌its economy, while a senior Iranian official warned of a “painful response” if it comes under further attack.Six months after US-Israeli strikes against Iran, the war appears to be at a stalemate. A preliminary ceasefire accord reached in June has unravelled and little progress has ​been made in diplomatic efforts to get the peace process back on track.After a pause in military action for much of August, tit-for-tat strikes have resumed, with US Central Command saying it hit three Iranian tankers on Saturday after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships.Following the attacks, Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday the US should understand “before it is too late” that the rules of the game in the war against Iran have changed.READ MORE“From now on, any attack ​against Iran’s interests and security will receive a faster, heavier and more painful response,” he said in a speech published on his Telegram channel.Tehran has shown it retains the capability to attack US interests in neighbouring countries and to shut down oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, ⁠through which a fifth of global oil supplies flowed prior to the conflict.Iran’s economy minister Ali Madanizadeh said Tehran planned to respond to ​US economic pressure with reforms and rejected the notion that sanctions would cause it to change course, according ​to state media on Sunday.“They speak of economic pressure and isolation, of breaking off financial ties, and they think that by pressuring the economy of a country they can change the decisions of its people,” Madanizadeh said.“I have ‌to clarify one point: the responsibility of reforming Iran’s economy is with its government ​and people, not with the US treasury.”[ No breakthrough after Trump envoys meet Zelenskiy and Putin for talksOpens in new window ]Separately, economy ministry deputy Morteza Zamanian said on Sunday that the ministry’s “Economic War Headquarters” was doubling down on its work to resolve problems caused by the war, according to ⁠the semi-official Tasnim news agency.Iran ⁠is the third-largest producer in the Organisation of the Petroleum ​Exporting Countries and exported 90 per cent of its crude via its Kharg Island export hub before the war. Flows have been disrupted since a US blockade of Iranian oil exports began in mid-April.On Sunday, US Central Command said on X that as of September 6th it had redirected 92 commercial vessels, disabled three and boarded two to ensure strict compliance with its blockade.Iran has also imposed a blockade on the Strait of Hormuz, creating an issue for US president Donald Trump by pushing up fuel prices globally ahead of midterm elections for his Republican Party in November.However, US energy secretary Chris Wright said oil was getting through the ‌waterway.“Our transits through the Strait are averaging over ⁠9 million barrels a day now, and with the access pipelines that go around the Strait, we’re probably two thirds or more of pre-conflict flows. So Iranians are still causing trouble, but the United States Navy is winning that battle,” he told CNN.On Saturday, US Central Command said it struck three Iranian vessels, including one off the coast of Kharg Island, after Iran’s ‌ IRGC launched ballistic missiles at two US Navy ships.The IRGC responded by threatening intensified strikes against US military vessels in the region, and said later it targeted the three tankers as well as three US-linked vessels in other areas. – Reuters