Iran warned on Wednesday that it could close “all other export corridors that benefit the United States and its allies” following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports. The statement coincided with a renewed military escalation between Washington and Tehran, cross-border attacks in the region, and another rise in international oil prices.
The warning was issued in a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, published by state news agency IRNA, saying that “regional energy exports are shared among all or denied to all.”
The threat broadened the crisis after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas shipping. Analysts cited by Reuters said Tehran signaled it might call on its Houthi allies in Yemen to also block the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and carries Saudi oil exports along with a significant portion of international maritime trade.
A senior Houthi official had already warned on Monday that the group was prepared to close Bab el-Mandeb if Saudi Arabia continued attacks on Yemen. According to a report by Iranian broadcaster Press TV, the official said such a move could push oil prices to as high as $200 per barrel.
Tensions rose after the Houthis launched missiles at Saudi Arabia, accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under Houthi control. That incident ended a four-year truce between the parties.
The Houthis had already shown they could disrupt international trade. After the war in Gaza began in October 2023, the group attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea, saying it targeted ships linked to Israel in solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
The new threat against Bab el-Mandeb came a day after the U.S. military announced another round of strikes “to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The United States said Iran attacked seven commercial vessels over the past week, resulting in nearly a dozen crew members killed, wounded, or missing.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) also reported striking dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and in Iranian coastal areas. The operation, CENTCOM said, lasted seven hours.
The Revolutionary Guard said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed “until the end of the evils of the United States.” Before the war began in February, roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil and gas shipments passed through that waterway.
The Iranian military body also said it struck command, control, logistics, fuel, and equipment facilities belonging to the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain in response to U.S. bombings.
It added that it set fire to and destroyed a U.S. logistics facility in Mina Abdullah, Kuwait, and that its air force attacked a U.S. base in Azraq, Jordan, aiming at aircraft hangars. The Revolutionary Guard said some of the U.S. strikes were launched from bases on Jordanian territory.
Kuwait’s state news agency reported Wednesday morning that a fire at a site hit by Iran was under control, but did not specify whether the site matched the facility named by the Revolutionary Guard.
Meanwhile, Jordanian authorities said air defenses intercepted and shot down three ballistic missiles that entered the country’s airspace from Iranian territory during the night.
Hostilities between Iran and the United States intensified again last week, undermining a truce reached in June after months of clashes that left thousands dead.
In that context, U.S. President Donald Trump warned he would order strikes on Iran’s strategic infrastructure if Tehran did not return to negotiations. “I’ll leave energy targets for last, but in the end we’ll get them,” Trump said in an interview with Fox News.
The president added that U.S. negotiators had delivered a direct message to Iranian authorities: “They better reach an agreement.”
Trump also abandoned a proposal put forward on Monday to impose a 20% tariff on shipping transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The proposal drew criticism from the UN maritime agency and various shipping industry stakeholders. On Tuesday he said he would seek investment agreements with Gulf countries instead of pursuing the tariff.
The military escalation again affected energy markets. Oil prices rose on Wednesday after closing the previous session up 2%, driven by supply disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude finished Tuesday at its highest level since June 12, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) reached its highest price since June 15. Both contracts extended gains at the start of trading on Wednesday.