Iran has escalated its warnings of potential attacks on infrastructure throughout the Middle East amid ongoing tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz. The development comes as Tehran awaits a formal response from the United States to its recent proposal aimed at reopening the strategic waterway, which has been under blockade since the conflict between Iran and U.S.-led forces began in late February.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical chokepoint for global oil shipments, and Iran has maintained a blockade of commercial shipping through the passage. In turn, the U.S. military has enforced a counterblockade of Iranian ports to prevent Tehran from exporting oil. Both sides claim control of the strait, with the U.S. asserting that oil continues to flow, while Iran insists it remains closed. Officials from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards disputed U.S. claims of an open strait, noting that any passage of vessels occurs under risky conditions with transponders off and at great cost. According to them, a genuinely open strait would see at least 125 vessels daily transporting upwards of 20 million barrels of oil and petroleum products, a situation they say has not been the case since the blockade began.
Iran’s chief negotiator and parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, recently issued strong warnings, stating that if Iran’s security is not guaranteed, no infrastructure in the region would be safe. He emphasized that if Iran is unable to sell oil, no other country would either, underscoring Tehran’s readiness to escalate attacks beyond the strait if conditions remain precarious.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has indicated that formal discussions are ongoing, with Qatari intermediaries involved in conveying proposals between Tehran and Washington. Abbas said he expected a U.S. response imminently, potentially within a day. He reiterated that reopening the strait depends on certain conditions outlined to U.S. officials, including a seven-day ceasefire across the Middle East, the unfreezing of Iranian overseas assets, lifting of sanctions on Iran’s oil sector, and an end to the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports.
U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected these Iranian demands and denied reports suggesting the U.S. offered any concessions to end the conflict. On social media, Trump stated he had offered Iran "nothing," dismissing suggestions that the U.S. would ease sanctions or release frozen funds in exchange for concrete steps regarding Iran’s nuclear program. The U.S. has maintained that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and curbing its regional aggression remain central goals of its policy.
Responding to U.S. assertions, the spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Mohebbi, denied that the conflict is related to nuclear ambitions, saying Washington’s aims are to exploit and divide the Iranian people. The Guards also highlighted ongoing efforts to inflict damage on any vessels attempting to traverse the strait, including the use of mines and direct strikes.
The broader regional conflict, including U.S.-Israeli military pressure on Iran and Iran’s support for allied groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, continues to feed into the complex negotiations. While fighting has decreased somewhat in recent weeks, the blockade and threats of further escalation underscore the fragile situation around one of the world’s most sensitive maritime routes.