Iran’s Guards threaten to hit US bases if Hormuz escorts continue

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Thursday threatened to strike American bases across the Middle East if the US military continues to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz.

The warning follows increasing US escorts of vessels through the waterway and stepped-up Iranian attacks on ships.

Why is Iran threatening US bases over Hormuz escorts?

Iran claims control over the Strait of Hormuz and regularly attacks ships that try to pass without its authorisation. The US military has escorted vessels through the waterway in increasing numbers, and Iran has responded by stepping up attacks.

The Guards now say the conflict will extend to American bases if the escorts continue.

What did the Revolutionary Guards say about the escorts?

“The US military must know that if this trend continues, the conflict will extend to its bases in the region,” the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran’s military, said in a statement on their Sepah News website.

“This is a serious warning,” they added.

What is happening in the Strait of Hormuz?

Four ships were hit in the area overnight as they attempted to pass through the wider Gulf, Iranian forces said on Thursday. Washington has also been maintaining a naval blockade on Iranian ports in an attempt to squeeze the country’s economy, while negotiations to end the conflict are deadlocked.

Iran claims control over Hormuz, a strategic shipping route through which one-fifth of the world’s oil supplies passed before war broke out in February. Bordered to the north by Iran and to the south by Oman, the strait is only about 30 kilometers (19 miles) wide at its narrowest point. It is a critical route for ships carrying oil and gas from energy-rich Gulf countries.