Iran's top negotiator threatens 'faster, more intense' response to US attacks

Iran's top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf threatened on Sunday to launch faster and more intense responses to US attacks. The warning followed an exchange of fire in which Tehran targeted American warships and the US struck Iranian oil tankers. Ghalibaf said the era of proportionate responses had ended.

What did Iran's top negotiator say about US attacks?

Ghalibaf said the Americans must have understood that the era of proportionate responses had come to an end. He warned that any aggression against Iran's interests and security would now receive a faster, more intense and more painful response than before.

What happened in Saturday's exchange of attacks?

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they targeted a US naval drone, three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and other US vessels, along with a US aircraft carrier and a destroyer. US Central Command said its forces disabled two Iranian oil tankers off Kharg Island and completely destroyed an unladen Iranian crude tanker in the Sea of Oman. CENTCOM added that American warships had successfully evaded Iran's attacks.

How has the war affected trade through the Strait of Hormuz?

Iran has largely blocked passage through the Strait of Hormuz since the war began on February 28. Washington has responded with a counter-blockade on Iranian ports and last month launched what it called an "economic asphyxiation" campaign targeting Iran's already battered economy. In his speech, Ghalibaf called on Iranian authorities to better manage imports to counter the US campaign, which he said sought to paralyze the country's supply cycle and energy management.

What has Iran said about the economic cost of the war?

Revolutionary Guards spokesman Hossein Mohebi said on Sunday that Tehran was using the war to inflict economic damage on the US. He said that for every dollar of economic damage the US tries to inflict on Iran, Washington suffers tens of dollars of damage in return.