SRINAGAR: Iran has warned of harsher retaliation against US naval forces if Washington continues its military operations against Iranian targets, raising fears of a wider escalation in the Gulf as tensions around the Strait of Hormuz intensify.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched several ballistic missiles towards a US aircraft carrier and a Navy destroyer, accusing the American warships of harassing Iranian vessels and enforcing a naval blockade.
The United States said its warships successfully evaded the attacks and that no American personnel were injured. Iran’s claim that it struck or damaged the vessels has not been independently confirmed.
The missile launches came amid a sharp escalation in the confrontation between Washington and Tehran after a period of relative calm. The US military has been tightening pressure on Iranian shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global energy route, while Iran has warned vessels against using what it calls unauthorised routes through the waterway.
Iran’s military has now threatened a stronger response if American attacks continue.
The IRGC has also claimed that its naval forces targeted three oil tankers travelling through what it described as unauthorised routes in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as three US-linked vessels in other parts of the region. There was no immediate confirmation from Washington of the reported attacks on the US-linked vessels.
The latest confrontation follows US strikes on Iranian shipping and comes after Washington resumed military action against Iran following a month-long lull.
The Strait of Hormuz has emerged as the principal flashpoint in the latest phase of the conflict. Commercial shipping through the waterway has fallen sharply amid concerns over missile, drone and mine threats, while the United States has been conducting operations aimed at keeping the route open.
A Financial Times report published Sunday said US forces had secretly conducted a months-long mine-clearance operation in the Strait of Hormuz involving Navy SEAL divers, unmanned boats and submersibles. The operation was aimed at dealing with mines believed to have been laid by Iranian forces, although Iran has disputed US claims about the extent of the mining threat.
The renewed exchanges have also added pressure to already fragile diplomatic efforts. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has called on Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations and prioritise de-escalation, while urging that commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz be protected.
With Iran threatening wider attacks and the US maintaining military pressure on Iranian shipping, the latest developments have raised the possibility of the conflict spreading further across the Gulf.
