Iran threatens to close Hormuz Strait completely if US resumes strikes

An informed security source told Press TV on Wednesday that Iran will completely close the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic if Washington resumes military strikes against Iranian territory.

Threat of total closure

"The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed to all maritime traffic" following any strike against Iran, the source told the Iranian state broadcaster. The source added that Iran will also strike enemy targets at a ratio of at least two-to-one, meaning that for every Iranian facility hit, at least two enemy positions will be struck in return. "Any threat will receive a powerful response," the source said, noting that Iran does not distinguish between the United States and its partners in the region.

US vows further action

US President Donald Trump said earlier on Wednesday that Washington will "probably" hit Iran again on Wednesday night, following overnight American strikes that came in retaliation for attacks on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Trump also declared that the memorandum of understanding signed last month with Tehran to end the conflict was "over," according to US media reports. The Iranian source dismissed the agreement's apparent collapse, stating that Tehran will not permit the establishment of any new maritime route outside the framework of its own arrangements for managing the waterway.

Regional military exchanges

Early Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched missile and drone strikes targeting 85 US military sites across the region, including Salman Port and the US Navy's Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain, as well as Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait. The attacks came after US Central Command announced it had carried out a new round of strikes against Iran, hitting more than 80 targets in response to Iranian attacks on commercial vessels. Tehran remains prepared to fight to maintain control over the strategic waterway, the source added.