Iran said on Thursday it would respond with “long and painful strikes” against U.S. positions if Washington resumed attacks, while also reasserting its claim over the Strait of Hormuz, complicating U.S. plans to form a coalition to reopen the waterway.
Two months into the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, the vital sea channel remains closed, choking off 20% of the world's oil and gas supplies. That has sent global energy prices surging and heightened concerns about the risks of an economic downturn.
Efforts to resolve the conflict have hit an impasse, with a ceasefire in place since 8 April. However, Iran still blocks the strait in response to a U.S. naval blockade of Iran's oil exports, Tehran's economic lifeline.
U.S. President Donald Trump was to receive a briefing on Thursday on plans for a series of fresh military strikes on Iran to compel it to negotiate an end to the conflict, a U.S. official told Reuters.
Such options have long been part of U.S. planning, but reports of the proposed briefing first published by Axios late Wednesday initially drove oil prices higher, with Brent crude briefly topping $126 a barrel. It later slipped back to around $114.
Air defence sounds were heard in some areas of Iran's capital Tehran late on Thursday, Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency reported, and the Tasnim news agency said air defences were engaging small drones and surveillance unmanned aerial vehicles.
On Thursday, the United Arab Emirates said it had banned its citizens from travelling to Iran, Lebanon and Iraq, and urged those currently in those countries to leave immediately and return home, citing regional developments.
Trump reiterated to reporters on Thursday that Iran would not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon and that the price of gasoline- a key concern for his Republican Party in the November midterm elections would "drop like a rock" as soon as the war ended.
While repeating allegations of serious rights violations by Iran, Trump said he was "OK" with it playing in the upcoming soccer World Cup in the United States, after FIFA president Gianni Infantino insisted the country would take part.
A senior official in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said any new U.S. attack, even if limited, would trigger “long and painful strikes” against U.S. positions in the region.
Aerospace Force Commander Majid Mousavi added that Iran had seen what happened to U.S. bases and warned the same would apply to American warships.
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said in a written message to Iranians that Tehran would eliminate "the enemies' abuses of the waterway" under new management of the strait, indicating that Tehran intended to maintain its hold over it.
"Foreigners who come from thousands of kilometres away ... have no place there except at the bottom of its waters," he said on Thursday in a written statement.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned that if the disruption caused by the closure dragged on through mid-year, global growth would fall, inflation would rise and tens of millions more people would be pushed into poverty and extreme hunger.
"The longer this vital artery is choked, the harder it will be to reverse the damage," he told reporters in New York.
Trump faces a formal U.S. deadline on Friday to end the war or make the case to Congress to extending it. However, analysts and congressional aides said they expect him to either notify Congress that he plans a 30-day extension or simply disregard the deadline.
Trump reiterated on Thursday that Iran's economy was "a disaster," but analysts say that if he expects Iran to blink first in a game of economic chicken, he may be waiting a while.
The conflict has aggravated Iran's dire economic problems, risking calamity after the war, but it looks able to survive a standoff in the Gulf for now, despite a U.S. blockade that has cut off energy exports.
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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (11 May) that the fragile ceasefire with Iran was “on life support” after he dismissed Tehran’s response to a U.S. peace proposal, raising fears the 10-week conflict could reignite and further disrupt global energy supplies.
China’s exports grew faster than expected in April, as overseas buyers moved quickly to secure supplies amid fears that the conflict involving Iran could drive up global energy and transport costs.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei warned “foreigners who commit evil” have no place in the Gulf, outlining a “new phase” for the Strait of Hormuz, while a senior adviser said U.S. blockade efforts would fail and could trigger confrontation.
Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high after a U.S. official said President Donald Trump was unhappy with a proposal from Tehran that does not deal with its nuclear programme. Washington is insisting that any talks must address Iran’s nuclear activities.
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Israel said it struck military targets in western and central Iran on Monday, even after U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to refrain from further attacks.
Sirens rang out across multiple areas of Israel on Sunday night after missiles were launched from Iran towards the country, the Israeli military said. Earlier, Tehran's top negotiator in talks with the U.S. threatened to target Israeli and American assets in the region, after Israel struck Beirut.
U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “crazy” during a phone exchange over fighting in Lebanon. The call came as the U.S. was attempting to broker an end to hostilities involving Iran.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said on Monday they targeted the source of an attack on a telecom facility on Sirik Island near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Iran really wanted to make a deal with the U.S. and that it would be a good one for Washington and its allies, President Donald Trump said on Monday.
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