Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps on Monday threatened it would target US forces if they attempt to approach or enter the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions in the already volatile region.
“We warn that any foreign armed force, especially the invading American army, will be attacked if they attempt to approach and enter the Strait of Hormuz,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by state-run broadcaster IRIB.
According to the statement, any safe passage and navigation in the strait must occur in coordination with Tehran “under any circumstances.”
The corps also urged ships and tankers to “refrain from any attempt to transit” the waterway without prior coordination, warning that doing so could jeopardise their security.
Earlier, US Central Command announced its forces would “support merchant vessels seeking to freely transit” the Strait of Hormuz under President Donald Trump’s “Project Freedom.”
“US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces will begin supporting Project Freedom, May 4, to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” it said in a post on X.
Tensions in the region have surged since February 28, when the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran, prompting retaliatory attacks by Tehran against Israeli targets and US allies in the Gulf.
Since April 13, Washington has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the strategic waterway.
A two-week ceasefire was announced on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, followed by talks in Islamabad on April 11, but negotiations failed to produce a lasting agreement.
Trump later extended the truce at Pakistan’s request, without announcing a new deadline.
Iran’s threat comes following Ibrahim Azizi's earlier warning.
Ibrahim Azizi, the head of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said “any American interference in the new maritime regime of the Strait of Hormuz will be considered a violation of the ceasefire.”
In the post on X, he dismissed the idea that the waterway could be directed by Washington, saying the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf “would not be managed by Trump’s delusional posts.”
