(ANKARA) - A warning came from Tehran after US President Donald Trump reimposed the naval blockade on Iranian ports. Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed and announced that other energy and export corridors that benefit the United States and its allies may also be closed. In the US press, it was claimed that Iran was pointing to the strategic Babel Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, with this statement.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that after the US reactivated the naval blockade of Iranian ports, other critical sea passages in the region may be closed after the Strait of Hormuz. In the statement of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Army, quoted by the official Iranian news agency, it was stated that "Regional energy exports are either shared by everyone or not allowed to anyone."
In the news in the US media, it was stated that Tehran's statements "contained the message that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, could be targeted through the Houthis in Yemen." The Bab al-Mandab Strait, through which a significant portion of global maritime trade and Saudi Arabia's oil exports pass, is seen as one of the critical transit points in terms of world energy supply.
Senior figures of the Yemen-based Houthis, Mohammed al-Farah, said in a statement to Iran's state channel Press TV that they were ready to close the Babel Mandeb Strait if Saudi Arabia continued its operations against Yemen. Al-Farah suggested that in such a scenario, oil prices could rise to $200 per barrel.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps announced that the Strait of Hormuz "will remain closed until the evil of the USA ends." The statement also claimed that in response to the latest attacks by the USA, the command-control, logistics, fuel and military equipment facilities allegedly belonging to the US 5th Fleet in Bahrain were targeted.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps also claimed that a logistics facility, which it claimed belonged to the United States, at the Mina Abdullah Port in Kuwait was set on fire and destroyed, and the aircraft hangars at the Azraq Base in Jordan were also hit by an air strike.
Kuwait's official news agency announced that the fire that broke out in a targeted area following the Iranian attacks was brought under control. However, the connection of the fire to the facility mentioned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has not been confirmed.
The Jordanian Army also announced that three ballistic missiles that entered the country's airspace from Iran were neutralized by air defense systems.
The statements made by Iran came a day after the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it carried out new operations targeting Iran's attack capacity against commercial ships around the Strait of Hormuz.
CENTCOM reported that dozens of military targets around the Strait of Hormuz and the coastal regions of Iran were hit in an operation that lasted approximately seven hours.
The US administration also claimed that Iran attacked seven commercial ships in the last week, and that at least 12 crew members were killed, injured or missing in these attacks.
US President Donald Trump said that if Iran does not return to the negotiating table, the country's power plants and bridges could be targeted next week.
Speaking to the US-based television channel Fox News, Trump said, "I will leave the energy targets for last, but we will hit them in the end." Trump stated that US negotiators called on Iranian officials to re-deal.
Trump also announced that he withdrew his proposal to charge 20 percent to ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz and stated that they would focus on investment agreements with Gulf countries instead.
The rise in global energy markets continued due to the tension in the Strait of Hormuz. While Brent oil completed Tuesday at its highest level in the last month, with an increase of approximately 2 percent, US crude oil (WTI) also reached its highest level since June 15. Both indicators continued their rise in today's trading.