Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) said Wednesday the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the United States ends its “acts of aggression,” and warned that other regional oil export routes could become targets next.
Fighting between the US and Iran, which began in late February, has disrupted energy supplies through the strait, a critical corridor for oil and gas shipments out of the Gulf. The IRGC said it struck US military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait in response to American strikes on Iranian territory, according to state broadcaster IRIB.
In a statement, the Guards said that since US forces had blocked the Indian Ocean export route — harming the interests of America’s economic rivals — Washington should expect other oil and gas routes serving US and allied interests to face closure too. “Oil and gas exports from the region will either be available for everyone or for no one,” the statement said, without specifying which routes might be affected next.
A separate IRGC statement said retaliatory operations would continue and that Hormuz would stay closed “until the United States ends its acts of aggression.” US officials have repeatedly disputed Iran’s claim that it can control navigation through the strait, insisting international shipping lanes remain open.
