Iranian general warns it can strike US warships enforcing blockade as Gulf confrontation escalates

Iranian General Majid Ibn Reza has warned that Tehran possesses the military capability to strike US Navy vessels enforcing Washington's blockade of Iranian shipping, marking a significant escalation in an already tense confrontation in the Arabian Gulf. Brigadier General Ibn Reza stated that Iran's military forces have the capability to target American naval forces, claiming the country's military power is sufficient to confront the US.

This warning comes two days after the US Navy struck three Iranian crude-oil carriers in response to Iranian missile attacks on two US naval vessels. The recent exchange has pushed the conflict to a new phase, with Iran's oil exports, commercial tankers, and US naval forces becoming increasingly interconnected military targets in the Gulf.

The escalation began on September 5 when the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched ballistic missiles towards two US Navy warships, prompting a US response by striking three Iranian crude oil carriers near Kharg Island, Jask, and the Gulf of Oman. US Central Command reported that two vessels were permanently disabled and a third, which was unladen, was destroyed.

The strikes represent a significant escalation because Washington has moved from intercepting vessels attempting to evade its blockade to directly attacking Iranian oil shipping after an Iranian attack on US naval forces. Iran has since claimed its forces targeted vessels violating restrictions in Iranian waters, while the two sides have traded competing accounts of the maritime clashes.

Iran's warning suggests that the conflict could potentially widen beyond commercial shipping to include US warships, American military bases, and American and regional energy infrastructure in the Gulf.