US strikes Iran again as Tehran warns of ‘existential war’
Enas Alashray, Tala Ramadan And Yomna Ehab
Cairo/Dubai: While the US has launched a new wave of attacks on Iran’s coastal defenses and missile sites after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, Iran has threatened to further halt regional energy exports, saying it is engaged in an “existential war” with America.
US Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement that it launched a second wave of attacks at 3pm US time on Wednesday (5pm AEST on Thursday) “targeting Iranian military capabilities used to threaten ships freely transiting the Strait of Hormuz”..
The new attacks followed another round of rare daylight attacks, marking the latest escalation in attacks and counterattacks launched by the two sides vying for control of the Strait of Hormuz, which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the war.
In a statement issued hours after Iran’s Mehr news agency reported that US shells had hit a spot on Iran’s Hengam Island in the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf, said Iranian security depended on maintaining what he called “Iranian arrangements” in the strait.
“We are in a significant and existential war with America,” Ghalibaf said in a statement.
The military attacked Iran’s coastal defense systems and cruise missile storage and launch sites on the Great Tunb Island, completing the attack wave in about 90 minutes, Centcom said.
This followed a seven-hour strike that the US said hit dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and coastal areas of Iran.
Iran ‘will survive until the end’
In response, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said Wednesday it had struck American military targets in the region, including Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.
He also threatened to further halt regional energy exports on Wednesday, saying the United States “must be prepared to close all other export corridors that benefit the United States and its allies.”
An interim ceasefire agreement on the conflict signed last month was supposed to lead to further talks and a permanent ceasefire, including on Iran’s nuclear program, but a return to talks has faltered.
“We have no plans for negotiations at the moment and we are focusing on defense,” Tasnim news agency quoted Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.
Galibaf, who is also the Speaker of the Iranian parliament, said that if Iran does not benefit from the memorandum of understanding signed with the United States, “we have no reason to adhere to such an understanding.”
Galibaf said Iran has never welcomed war, but must always be ready to fight and “stand until the end” to protect national security and Iranian interests. He added that Iran must also use “tools of diplomacy and negotiation” and that choosing negotiation or war as the only course of action would be a strategic mistake.
Clashes have intensified since Iran announced late Saturday that it was closing the Strait of Hormuz. The United States says Iran attacked seven commercial ships last week, leaving nearly a dozen crew members dead, missing or injured.
Trump: ‘We will reach energy targets’
President Donald Trump on Wednesday AEST threatened to strike Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes talks.
“I’ll save the energy targets for last, but eventually we will reach the energy targets,” Trump said.
Trump added that American negotiators contacted their Iranian counterparts and told them “you better make a deal.”
The war, which started with the US and Israel attacking Iran on February 28, triggered Iran’s attacks on the Gulf countries hosting American bases and caused major disruptions in the global economy.
The increase in energy supply increases the fear of an increase in inflation.
Oil prices fell on Wednesday after reaching a one-month high on Tuesday.
Analysts say the United States and Iran are returning to discussions as they did before the temporary ceasefire agreement was signed, but they are unlikely to return to full-scale war, although the risk of further escalation remains.
They say it signals that Iran could use its Houthi allies in Yemen to close the Bab al-Mandab, opening a new front against Washington and putting two of the world’s most vital energy arteries at risk.
Bab al-Mandeb connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, through which a significant portion of Saudi oil exports and global shipping passes. Some shippers are returning to Red Sea routes after being deterred by Houthi attacks linked to the Gaza war that began in 2023.
As a result of this year’s Iran war, Iran is seeking to establish permanent control over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and impose fees on ships passing through it; This would be a major shift in the balance of power in a region where the United States has long acted as the guarantor of security.
As tensions increased, Trump put forward the idea of imposing a 20 percent fee on shipping through the Bosphorus on Monday. He abandoned that idea on Tuesday and said he would seek investment deals with Gulf countries, without giving details.
The war killed thousands and displaced millions; especially in Iran and Lebanon, where conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has resumed.
Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said that at least 30 civilians have been killed in recent days due to American attacks on southern Iran.
Reuters
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