Iran warns of 'more painful response' if US launches further attacks

Iran’s top negotiator on Sunday warned that Tehran would respond more aggressively to any future US attacks, following a fresh exchange of strikes in which Iran targeted American naval vessels.

The latest confrontation follows US military strikes launched last week and comes as the two countries remain locked in a six-month-long conflict with no apparent breakthrough toward an end to the war.

Iran continues to maintain control over the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, while the United States has maintained a counter-blockade targeting Iranian ports.

Washington has also intensified economic pressure on Tehran by imposing sanctions on organisations and entities accused of maintaining financial connections with Iran, in an effort to pressure the country into submission.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has served as Tehran’s chief negotiator in efforts to end the conflict, said the United States should now understand that Iran would no longer limit itself to responses proportional to the attacks it faces.

Ghalibaf warned that any future action against Iran’s interests or security would be met with a response that would be quicker, stronger and more damaging. His remarks were broadcast by Iranian state media.

On Saturday, US Central Command (Centcom), responsible for American military operations in the region, said Iran had attempted to strike two US warships,an aircraft carrier and a destroyer but failed.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s military ideological wing, claimed the vessels had been forced to withdraw after sustaining damage. Centcom rejected the claim, saying the ships successfully avoided the attacks.

The United States subsequently announced that it had carried out strikes against three oil tankers allegedly connected to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

According to Centcom, one vessel was rendered permanently inoperable near Kharg Island, another was disabled off Jask, while a third ship was completely destroyed in the Gulf of Oman.

Footage released by the US military showed explosions followed by large flames and thick smoke rising from the targeted vessels.

Centcom said the three ships were allegedly linked to a multibillion-dollar clandestine network used to financially support the IRGC and its regional allies.

Iran responded soon afterward, with the Revolutionary Guards claiming that its naval forces had attacked three oil tankers travelling through what Tehran described as an unauthorised route in the Strait of Hormuz, along with three other vessels it said were affiliated with the United States.

The IRGC also warned vessels against attempting to pass through the strategically important waterway using routes that have not been approved by Tehran.

In the early hours of Sunday, Iranian state television reported another IRGC claim that its forces had targeted a US naval drone attempting to enter the Strait of Hormuz.

However, Centcom spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins dismissed the allegation as completely false.

Hawkins said that no US vessels had come under attack on Sunday.