Iran says Strait of Hormuz a ‘red line’, vows to fight till the end
Tehran warned of ‘existential war’ with America and threatened to block more energy exports from the Middle East
The US intensified its strikes on Iran early Thursday, hitting targets further north as American forces also fired into a ship it accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic. Iran retaliated with missile and drone fire targeting US allies in the region before dawn and warned its attacks may escalate.
Days of back-and-forth strikes by the US and Iran across the Middle East – and renewed threats to the Strait of Hormuz – have shredded the interim deal to end the Iran war and could tip the region back into all-out war. Already, Iranian officials say US strikes have killed more than 35 people and wounded over 300 others.
After the first strikes on Wednesday night, Tehran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a statement saying: “We are in an essential and existential war with America”.
Iranian army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war, was a “red line” for Iran over which it maintains firm control.
“The Americans thought that by attacking some of our bases on the southern coasts of the country, they could take control of this strategic strait,” Akraminia said.