Iran threatened on Wednesday to close “all other export corridors that benefit the United States and its allies” after sealing off the Strait of Hormuz and following the reinstatement of a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports. The warning came amid a new military escalation between Washington and Tehran, cross-border attacks in the region, and a fresh rise in international oil prices.
The warning appeared in a statement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, published by state news agency IRNA, which said that “regional energy exports will be shared by all or denied to all.”
The threat widened the crisis after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the main routes for global oil and gas shipments. Analysts cited by Reuters said Tehran signaled it could 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 and 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 its attacks on Yemen. According to a report by Iranian outlet Press TV, the leader said that such a decision could push oil prices as high as $200 per barrel.
Tensions rose after the Houthis launched missiles at Saudi Arabia, accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control. That incident broke a four-year truce between the two sides.
The Houthis have already demonstrated their ability to disrupt international trade. After the Gaza war 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 to Bab el-Mandeb came a day after the U.S. military announced another round of strikes “to further degrade Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
The United States said Iran attacked seven commercial vessels over the past week, with 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 along Iranian coastal areas. According to the statement, the operation lasted seven hours.
The Revolutionary Guard said the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed “until the end of America’s evils.” Before the war began in February, roughly one fifth of global daily oil and gas shipments passed through that waterway.
The Iranian military body also claimed it struck command, control, logistics, fuel, and military equipment facilities belonging to the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain in response to U.S. strikes.
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 for aircraft hangars. The Revolutionary Guard said some of the U.S. strikes were launched from bases located in Jordanian territory.
Kuwait’s state news agency reported Wednesday morning that a fire at a site hit by Iran had been brought under control, but it did not specify whether the location matched the facility mentioned 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 early hours.
Hostilities between Iran and the United States intensified last week and weakened the 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 against Iran’s strategic infrastructure if Tehran did not return to negotiations. “I will leave energy targets for last, but in the end we will 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 announced on Monday to impose a 20% tariff on maritime transport passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The idea drew criticism from the U.N. maritime agency and various shipping industry actors. On Tuesday he said he would seek investment agreements with Gulf countries instead of moving forward with the levy.
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 closed 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.