Iran's top negotiator threatens 'faster, more intense' response to US attacks

Iran's chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has warned of swifter and more intense responses to U.S. attacks, following a series of clashes between the two nations. Ghalibaf stated that the era of proportionate reactions has ended, emphasizing that any aggression against Iran's interests and security will face a harsher response.

The recent attacks involved the Revolutionary Guards claiming to target a U.S. naval drone, three oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, and U.S. vessels in other locations, as well as a U.S. aircraft carrier and a destroyer. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported disabling two Iranian oil tankers off Iran's Kharg island and destroying an unladen Iranian crude oil tanker in the Sea of Oman, while asserting that its warships had successfully evaded Iran's strikes.

Iran has been blocking the Strait of Hormuz since February 28, while the U.S. has imposed a counter-blockade on Iranian ports and launched an "economic asphyxiation" campaign targeting Iran's economy. Ghalibaf called for better management of Iranian imports to counter the U.S. campaign, stating that every dollar of damage inflicted on Iran by the U.S. results in tens of dollars of damage to the United States.