Iran warn military response if US naval blockade intensifies

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says Tehran will prevent Washington from reopening the Strait of Hormuz and will target vessels that use routes authorised by the US. In a video carried by Iranian media, Ghalibaf acknowledged that “the enemy managed to get some ships” through the waterway but said Iranian forces remain “in complete control of the strait and will not allow it to be opened.” He accused Washington of giving ships “false guarantees” that they could safely use a southern passage. “America wants to use the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz in violation of the Memorandum of Understanding, and we will not allow it,” he said. Ghalibaf described the US naval blockade against Iran as a military act and warned that Tehran would respond militarily to any escalation. If the US’s “will is that we do not export oil” from the Gulf, Ghalibaf said, “no one will be able to export oil”.