ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Thursday threatened to strike US military bases across the Middle East if Washington continues to encourage vessels to use shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz that Tehran considers unauthorized, the Guards said in a statement.
The warning comes as tensions rise across the region, with Washington preparing to evacuate some non-essential diplomatic personnel and their families from Gulf countries, while Israeli fighter jets reportedly conducted a large-scale military exercise near Iran's border earlier this week.
In a statement carried by the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency, the IRGC’s naval command accused the US military of encouraging commercial vessels to use what Tehran described as an illegal, mined shipping route through the strategic waterway.
“The US military must know that if this trend continues, the conflict will extend to its bases in the region,” the IRGC Navy warned.
“This is a serious warning.”
The threat came as the IRGC claimed that seven vessels had been struck or damaged in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz area, including four ships allegedly hit while transferring oil and three others that reportedly struck naval mines on Wednesday night.
Rudaw English could not independently verify the claim.
Iran has repeatedly warned commercial vessels against using shipping lanes that it considers unauthorized, while the US military has sought to keep the strategic waterway open despite Iranian threats and attacks.
The latest warning comes amid growing speculation about another round of US and Israeli strikes against Iran, following the six-week war that began on February 28.
On Wednesday, Axios reported that dozens of Israeli fighter jets and refuelling aircraft had flown close to Iran's border during a long-range military exercise earlier in the week.
The aircraft reportedly flew over Syria and Iraq before turning back near Iranian territory. Israeli officials described the operation as a military exercise and show of force, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Washington is preparing to withdraw some diplomatic personnel and their families from US embassies in the Gulf amid concerns about renewed hostilities, including attacks by Iran-backed Houthi forces.
US President Donald Trump has also stepped up his warnings to Tehran, saying recently that the confrontation would be resolved “one way or another”.
“Maybe you blow them up. You have to make that decision. We blow them up, we make a deal, but the time is coming, it will end very soon one way or the other,” Trump said on September 30.
