Iran threatens US warships as Trump considers renewed attacks

Iran’s armed forces chief Ali Abdollahi has threatened US warships, warning they would face attack if they approach Iranian territory, state media reported on Saturday.

The warning comes as President Donald Trump considers renewed military action and escalating violence across the Middle East pushes oil prices higher, Al Jazeera reported.

Why is Iran threatening US warships?

Abdollahi said the US Navy could not safely enter Iranian territorial waters or operate nearby because Iranian forces could target vessels throughout the region. He said Tehran intended to draw the United States and Israel into a prolonged conflict in retaliation for their February 28 attack on Iran.

“The US president can only dream of their soldiers and military again entering the Persian Gulf,” Abdollahi said, adding that US forces would never fulfil that ambition.

Trump told supporters at a rally in Florida on Friday that Washington could launch another operation under the name “Epic Fury”, referring to the US bombing campaign against Iran at the start of the conflict. He has also weighed whether to intensify attacks or maintain pressure through a naval blockade and sanctions.

Abdollahi said Washington’s claims that Iran’s military capabilities had been largely destroyed contradicted its reluctance to move aircraft carriers and support vessels closer to Iranian territory.

How is the Iran conflict affecting oil prices and shipping?

The confrontation has heightened risks to commercial shipping through and around the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil supplies. Brent crude has risen to about $117 a barrel, its highest level since April, amid concerns over further attacks and disruption to maritime traffic.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said seven tankers had been attacked or struck mines overnight into Thursday, and claimed on Friday that two supertankers had hit mines. The claims could not be independently verified.

The IRGC has also said Iran is adopting a more offensive military doctrine. Washington has reportedly ordered some diplomatic personnel to leave Saudi Arabia, with further departures planned elsewhere in the region.

Iranian state-linked media and analysts have discussed the possibility of a so-called “dead hand” doctrine, which they say could allow attacks against US, Israeli and regional interests to continue across Iran if senior Iranian figures were killed. Its existence and operational scope could not be independently established.

The IRGC has also threatened to target undersea internet and communications cables if US and Israeli attacks hit Iranian civilian infrastructure again. Separately, US-based Axios reported on Saturday, citing US intelligence, that Iranian authorities had substantially stepped up efforts to target American officials in the Middle East and beyond.

How is the fighting spreading across the region?

The conflict is unfolding alongside widening hostilities involving Iran-aligned groups and regional forces. Yemen’s Houthi movement continued attacks involving Saudi Arabia, striking Riyadh on Saturday, while the international airport in Dammam and the Shaybah oilfield had been targeted in recent days.

Saudi forces, meanwhile, have carried out air strikes in Marib, Taiz and other Yemeni provinces under Houthi control.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli air attacks were reported around Nabatieh on Friday, alongside artillery fire near Zawtar ash-Sharqiyah. Tehran has sought to link the Lebanese front to any agreement with Washington, previously insisting that a ceasefire with the United States must also cover Lebanon.

Israel has also tightened restrictions in the occupied West Bank following a Palestinian attack that killed two Israeli soldiers in Hebron, according to the report. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reiterated his stated goal of overthrowing Iran’s government, while the Houthis have launched attacks on Israel in connection with the fighting in Gaza and the West Bank.

Are regional powers trying to end the Iran-US conflict?

Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to bring Iran and the United States closer to an agreement. Foreign ministers from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Britain, France, Germany and Italy met in Istanbul on Friday to discuss the conflict, without representatives from Washington or Tehran.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that another attack on Iran would widen the war and spread violence across the region, saying military intervention was not a solution. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul blamed Iran and the Houthis for regional instability.

In a separate statement, the four regional participants, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt, identified the Israeli occupation as the main source of instability. They backed a negotiated settlement, including through the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed in June.

The four countries also called for unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz, opposed attacks on civilians and commercial vessels, and condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and its Red Sea shipping interests.

What does Iran want from the United States?

The Istanbul meeting nevertheless exposed differences over how to end the conflict. Nour News, an outlet affiliated with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said in an analysis on Saturday that the United States and European powers should make concessions before Tehran. It argued that reopening the Strait of Hormuz depended on Washington accepting Iran’s demands and acknowledging responsibility for attacks on Iran and Yemen.

Iranian newspapers also reflected growing concern over the risk of renewed fighting. Hardline Vatan-e Emrooz described Brent crude’s rise above $117 a barrel as evidence of a setback for Trump, while reformist Etemad warned that US and Israeli actions suggested another intense round of war could be approaching.