Iran threatens offensive in Strait of Hormuz if US diplomacy fails

Iran has shifted its policy from defensive to "fully offensive" due to the ongoing deadlock in peace talks and the resumption of military hostilities with the United States, a senior Iranian official revealed to Reuters on Monday. The war, which the US and Israel launched on February 28, has stalled progress towards a permanent resolution, with no sign of either party moving towards ending the conflict.

The senior Iranian official warned that Iranian entities must be prepared to escalate tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region if diplomatic efforts fail. Tehran would conduct a "timely and precise" military attack to break the US naval blockade in such a scenario.

The 60-day deadline set by the June memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at ending the war has become a point of contention between Iran and the United States. Iran argues that the MoU gives it the right to manage the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while the US rejects this interpretation. Hostilities resumed on July 7 when Iran fired on vessels it claimed were navigating an unapproved route through the waterway. US President Donald Trump announced on July 7 that the MoU was "over."

Both Iran and the United States have ramped up rhetoric over the past week. Trump warned Americans in a recent speech that they should prepare for continued high fuel prices as a result of the war, while also stating that "after we finish defeating Iran ... I'll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States." Earlier on Monday, Trump reiterated on his Truth Social platform that the "number one Goal is, and always will be, that Iran cannot have, in any way, shape, or form, a Nuclear Weapon."