The Middle East remains a volatile region as tensions between the United States and Iran escalate. Iranian officials are warning that the Islamic Republic will retaliate against any further U.S. aggression.
Ebrahim Rezaei, a representative in Iran's Parliament and spokesperson for the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, posted on X that the country will deliver a "hard slap" to the U.S. Rezaei's statement was made in response to the U.S. Central Command's announcement of additional strikes against Iran.
The speaker of Iran's Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, also issued a warning to the U.S. He stated that if the U.S. strikes, it will "get hit" and that the Strait of Hormuz will only open with "Iranian arrangements," not American threats.
The U.S. military has been conducting strikes against Iran to degrade its ability to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM forces have completed two rounds of strikes, targeting approximately 170 Iranian military targets, including air defense systems, coastal surveillance assets, and missile and drone storage sites.
The U.S. has been holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews. President Donald Trump has indicated that the U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding ceasefire is "over."
Kuwait and Bahrain have come under attack, with the Kuwait Army detecting and intercepting ballistic missiles and hostile drones within its airspace. The Bahrain Defense Force also reported confronting and destroying several treacherous Iranian aerial attacks.
