Iran’s army spokesman warned that the Strait of Hormuz remains firmly under its control.
It said any U.S. attempt to seize it would be met with strong resistance, stating the waterway is a non-negotiable “red line”.
The escalation risks reopening full-scale war, with analysts warning Iran may use Houthi allies to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Iran on Thursday declared the Strait of Hormuz an inviolable “red line”, warning that any U.S. strike on its infrastructure ordered by President Donald Trump would prompt Tehran to attack infrastructure across the entire Gulf region.
After the first strikes, Tehran’s top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf issued a statement saying: "We are in an essential and existential war with America."
Iranian army spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said on Thursday that the Strait of Hormuz — which carried about a fifth of global oil and gas shipments before the conflict — is a "red line" for Iran, over which it maintains firm control.
"The Americans thought that by attacking some of our bases on the southern coasts of the country, they could take control of this strategic strait," Akraminia said.
"However, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the ability to exert control over the Strait of Hormuz from every single point of its territory, and this matter is never dependent on coasts and islands."
Three U.S. officials told Reuters that the American strikes, aimed at forcing open the strait, are also targeting Iranian military capabilities that the U.S. wants to destroy ahead of more complex operations.
Iran’s army earlier said in reference to the strait: "We will undoubtedly resist until the end and will neutralize American interventions in the region."
Iran’s military spokesperson added that the only way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz is for the U.S. to comply with the 14-point memorandum of understanding signed by both sides in June, along with the implementation of "Iranian regulations" regarding ship traffic in the strait.
Trump on Tuesday threatened to hit Iranian power plants and bridges next week unless Tehran resumes negotiations.
Akraminia warned that if Trump carried out the threat, Iran’s armed forces would strike "all remaining infrastructure" across the region, and that the response would be more severe, wider in scope, and more destructive than previous attacks.
Iran said on Thursday it had targeted U.S. bases in Kuwait and Jordan, warning its neighbours that allowing the U.S. to launch attacks against it would not go unanswered.
"Our neighbours should know that providing a base to the Americans and allowing them to fire on Iranian soil is unacceptable and will not go unanswered," Iran’s army said in a statement.
By early Thursday in the Middle East, sirens sounded in Bahrain, and Kuwait said it was responding to "hostile drone threats".
Iran’s army said it targeted the Al Azraq Air Base in Jordan with ballistic missiles, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had destroyed the satellite communications centre and early warning radar at the Ali Al Salem Air Base, as well as a U.S. military pier in the Al Shuaiba area of Kuwait.
The Bahraini Defence Ministry said the country’s air defence systems had intercepted and destroyed a number of Iranian aerial attacks targeting the kingdom on Thursday.
The latest escalation, along with Iran’s threats to disrupt more regional energy exports and strike infrastructure, has raised fears of a return to full-scale war in the region.
Analysts say Iran has signalled it may use its Houthi allies in Yemen to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait at the entrance to the Red Sea, opening a new front against Washington and endangering another critical global energy artery.
The conflict has already killed thousands and displaced millions, primarily in Iran and Lebanon, where fighting resumed between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
(with inputs from Reuters)
