The president of United States, donald trump said, this Saturday (27), that the Iran “will no longer exist”, if the American country decides to intensify its attacks. The statement was made after the Armed Forces reported a new attack on the Persian country.
The measure occurred after an oil tanker was hit in the Strait of Hormuz by an alleged Iranian projectile. The action represents the worst escalation of tension since the two sides signed an agreement provisional peace two weeks ago.
Each side accused the other of violating the agreement to end the four-month conflict. In Iran, state broadcaster IRIB reported that explosions were heard in Sirik in the south of the country, without providing further details.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had carried out attacks against Kuwait and Bahrain, due to US offensives on Iranian territory, warning that any new aggression would receive an “overwhelming response”.
The Guard said it had “destroyed eight key U.S. military installations at the Ali al-Salem base in Kuwait and the Fifth Fleet naval base at Port Salman in Bahrain.”
“Any enemy aggression, whatever the pretext, even against insignificant targets, will be met with an overwhelming response,” he added.
The US Central Command stated, in a statement, that Iran had the chance to respect the ceasefire agreement, but chose not to do so.
It said the attacks were a “direct response to continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping” and targeted Iranian military surveillance, communications, air defense, drone storage and mine laying facilities.
This Saturday’s attack on the oil tanker in the strait followed another attack on a cargo ship on Thursday (25), which triggered the most recent escalation. Iran made a new attempt to assert control over the world’s most important energy transport route, which was beginning to reopen after months of interruption.
The UK’s maritime safety agency said the tanker struck this Saturday suffered damage but that all crew were safe.
The Joint Maritime Information Center, run by a coalition of Navies that protects shipping, has raised its security threat level as a result of recent incidents.
Iran has not commented directly on reports of specific attacks on ships. However, Iranian state television reported that the Revolutionary Guard fired “warning shots” at unspecified vessels trying to pass through channels not authorized by Iran, and that this was prompting other ships to seek Iranian permission before attempting to cross the strait.
Previously, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said it had launched “defensive” strikes against US-linked military targets, while Bahrain, which hosts an American base, reported an Iranian drone strike.
Iran accused the United States of not complying with the provisional agreement, in particular for not maintaining a promised ceasefire in Lebanon — a country that Israela US ally, invaded in March in pursuit of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group.
Hundreds of ships, including oil tankers loaded with oilhave been blocked in the Persian Gulf since the start of the war. With the departure of these ships through the strait in the last two weeks, oil prices have plummeted, approaching pre-war levels, due to the increase in supply.
Washington has been promoting a southern shipping route along Oman’s coast, while Tehran, which plans to charge fees for use of the strait, wants ships to use a northern route through its waters and under its control.
US Vice President JD Vance, the president’s chief negotiator donald trump to the conflict, said the Americans had complied with the ceasefire agreement and blamed Iran for any return to conflict that might result from its actions.
“Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We respect it. If they disagree with how the memorandum of understanding is being applied, they can call us. But violence will be met with violence,” Vance told broadcaster X.
