Mohammad Marandi, a member of the Iranian negotiation team, responded to recent threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to target infrastructure within Iran, warning that any military escalation could affect several Gulf countries.
Marandi's comments followed Trump's threat to strike key facilities in Iran if ships in the Strait of Hormuz were attacked. Trump wrote on the "X" platform: "So, it's time to evacuate Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE... and possibly Oman too."
In related news, the Iranian "Tasnim" agency quoted a military source saying that Iran is committed to maintaining sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz and will not allow it to become a tool to threaten its security.
The source added that any U.S. targeting of bridges or power stations within Iran would be met with responses targeting infrastructure, bridges, and energy facilities in the region, including sites where the U.S. has interests.
The source considered recent developments as demonstrating Iran's ability to target various objectives, warning that any new military move by Washington would, as he described, have negative consequences for the U.S.
Meanwhile, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard announced that removing the risk of war requires, according to its statement, inflicting significant losses on the aggressor, indicating the readiness of Iranian forces to carry out a new military operation, using language that warned the United States of severe repercussions.
These statements come amidst ongoing military escalation between Washington and Tehran, following the collapse of a ceasefire and the resumption of reciprocal strikes. The United States accuses Iran of targeting commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, while Tehran insists that Washington breached previous understandings and pushed the region towards further escalation.