Iran warns US naval blockade would amount to ‘expansion of war’ in region

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters warned Monday that US actions aimed at imposing a naval blockade would be considered “an expansion of the war in the region.” In a statement carried by Fars News Agency, the military command accused Washington of threatening Iranian vessels, commercial ships and oil tankers in Iran’s coastal and territorial waters during the past three days. “This US action will be regarded as an expansion of the war in the region,” it warned. “As the armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran have demonstrated on the battlefield, they will not leave any threat or hostile action by that country’s terrorist military unanswered and will confront it,” the command said. The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said Saturday that a US naval blockade against Iran remains in full effect. CENTCOM said that US forces had redirected 12 commercial vessels attempting to breach the blockade, disabled two that failed to comply and boarded two others to verify compliance as of July 25. Tensions between the US and Iran have intensified in recent weeks, with Washington carrying out attacks on Iran and Tehran responding by targeting what it said were US military facilities and equipment in countries across the region.