Iran’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei on Monday said Tehran “doesn’t need foreign workers to protect the strait” in response to US President Donald Trump’s assertion that the US will be the “guardian” of the Strait of Hormuz.
President Trump on Monday declared the Strait of Hormuz is “open, and will remain OPEN, with or without Iran”. He said the US would become the “Guardian of the Hormuz Strait”, reinstate what he called the “Iranian blockade”, and seek a 20% reimbursement on all cargo shipped through the waterway to cover security costs.
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Iran’s top joint military command warned that if the war widens, it “will reach all the countries of the region”, blaming the US and its allies for any consequences. The warning comes amid escalating exchanges between Washington and Tehran and rising tensions across the Gulf.
US forces launched fresh strikes Monday morning after Iran attacked a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, setting it ablaze and leaving one crew member missing. Iran responded with strikes on targets across the Middle East.
Earlier, the US launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran hours after saying it hit dozens of Iranian military sites. The escalation follows Iran’s attacks on US bases across the Gulf and Tehran’s declaration that the Strait of Hormuz is “closed until further notice”. Explosions were also reported in Bandar Abbas.
Which countries have been hit or put on alert?
Sirens sounded in Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, for the second time in two days, with no immediate damage reported. Kuwait said its air defences were engaging Iranian projectiles after Sunday’s strikes on Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and Oman.
