Iran threatens to sink US ships in Strait of Hormuz
Senior adviser warns of missile strikes on American vessels as tensions rise over policing of key shipping route and sanctions intensify
By Abdullahi Yusuf
A senior military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader has threatened to target and sink US ships in the Strait of Hormuz if Washington attempts to enforce control over the vital shipping lane, raising fresh fears of escalation in an already volatile regional conflict.
Mohsen Rezaei, speaking on Iranian state television, said American naval forces would be vulnerable to missile strikes if they moved to “police” the waterway, which carries a significant share of global oil supplies.
“These ships of yours will be sunk by our first missiles,” he said. “They can definitely be exposed to our missiles and we can destroy them.”
His remarks come amid heightened tensions following weeks of conflict in the region and a fragile ceasefire that has held for just over two weeks. Iran has accused the United States of attempting to impose a naval blockade on the strait, an allegation Washington has not publicly confirmed.
Mr Rezaei, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, also said he opposed any extension of the ceasefire, describing it as a personal position, and warned that any US ground intervention would be met with severe retaliation.
He added that such a scenario could involve the taking of hostages, comments likely to further inflame diplomatic tensions.
Separately, the United States announced new sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sector, intensifying economic pressure on Tehran as the dispute over maritime security escalates.
The US Treasury Department said it had imposed restrictions on more than two dozen individuals, companies and vessels linked to a shipping network associated with Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, a prominent Iranian oil transport figure.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the measures formed part of what he described as an aggressive campaign of economic pressure, aimed at restricting Iran’s ability to fund its regional activities.
“The United States is acting to decisively limit Iran’s ability to generate revenue,” the State Department said, accusing Tehran of attempting to “hold the Strait of Hormuz hostage”.
The sanctions also draw attention to the wider role of Iran’s political and security elite. Shamkhani is the son of senior Iranian official Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, both of whom Iranian media reported were killed on the first day of US-Israeli attacks earlier in the conflict.
Washington alleges that the network operates across Iran and the United Arab Emirates, using front companies and commercial shipping operations to evade sanctions and move oil revenue.
The developments come as diplomatic efforts to stabilise the region remain fragile, with the ceasefire increasingly strained by continued military posturing and competing claims over control of strategic waterways.
As rhetoric intensifies on both sides, the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant portion of global energy supplies passes, is once again emerging as a potential flashpoint in the widening confrontation.
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