Iran warns US of ‘prolonged, painful blows’ amid strike plan reports

A senior commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force warned the United States on Thursday against any potential military action, following reports that Washington is reviewing strike options to break the current stalemate.

Mousavi: ‘We have seen the fate of your bases’

According to a report by US news website Axios, President Donald Trump is expected to receive a briefing from US Central Command (CENTCOM) on options for “short and intense” strikes aimed at forcing Iran back to negotiations with greater flexibility, particularly on the nuclear issue. In response, IRGC commander Majid Mousavi said Tehran would meet any such operations — “even if short and rapid” — with “prolonged and painful blows.” “We have seen the fate of your bases in the region; we will also see your vessels,” he added in comments carried by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

CENTCOM plans include infrastructure, naval pressure

Axios reported that CENTCOM has prepared plans that could include strikes on Iranian infrastructure, as well as broader options such as increased naval pressure in the Strait of Hormuz. The report also said Washington is considering steps to secure maritime routes through the strategic waterway and is preparing for possible Iranian retaliation. The US and Israel began strikes on Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran’s retaliation against US allies in the Gulf and the closure of the strait. A Pakistani-mediated ceasefire was announced on April 8, followed by inconclusive talks in Islamabad on April 11. Trump later unilaterally extended the truce without a new time frame at Pakistan’s request, and rejected an Iranian proposal that would reopen the strait while deferring nuclear program discussions.