Key facts
- Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz an inviolable 'red line' and warned of severe retaliation if attacked by the U.S.
- Iran threatened to strike all regional infrastructure if U.S. President Donald Trump followed through on his threat to attack Iranian sites.
- The U.S. has been conducting strikes and reimposed a naval blockade of Iran's ports, aiming to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran claimed to have targeted U.S. bases in Kuwait and Jordan, warning neighbors against allowing U.S. attacks.
- Analysts suggest Iran may use Houthi allies to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway, risking another vital energy artery.
Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz an inviolable 'red line' on Thursday, warning that it would strike all infrastructure across the Gulf region if U.S. President Donald Trump carried out his threat to attack Iran's infrastructure. The U.S. has launched a fifth night of attacks and reimposed a naval blockade of Iran's ports, which Washington says is aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz, closed by Iran the previous Saturday after a truce collapsed.
Following the initial strikes, Tehran's top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf stated, 'We are in an essential and existential war with America.' Iranian army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia asserted 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. He added that Iran has the ability to exert control over the strait from any point of its territory.
Three U.S. officials indicated that the strikes aimed at forcing open the strait are also targeting Iranian military capabilities that the U.S. wishes to destroy before executing more complex operations. Iran's army earlier stated, 'We will undoubtedly resist until the end and will neutralize American interventions in the region.' The military spokesperson also said the only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was for the U.S. to comply with a 14-point memorandum of understanding signed in June and implement 'Iranian regulations' regarding ship traffic.
Trump had threatened to hit Iranian power plants and bridges unless Tehran resumes negotiations. Akraminia stated that if Trump followed through, Iran's armed forces would strike 'all remaining infrastructure' across the region with a response that would be more severe, wider in scope, and more destructive than previous attacks. Iran also claimed on Thursday to have targeted U.S. bases in Kuwait and Jordan, warning its neighbors that allowing the U.S. to launch attacks against it would not go unanswered.
By early Thursday, sirens sounded in Bahrain, and Kuwait reported responding to 'hostile drone threats.' Iran's army claimed it targeted the Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan with ballistic missiles, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards stated they destroyed a satellite communications center and early warning radar at the Ali Al Salem Air Base, as well as a U.S. military pier in Kuwait. The Bahraini Defence Ministry confirmed its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed Iranian aerial attacks targeting the kingdom. Analysts suggest Iran may use its Houthi allies in Yemen to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, potentially opening a new front against Washington and endangering another vital energy artery.