Iran has issued a stark warning that any American military strike on its infrastructure would result in the deliberate destruction of key facilities across the Middle East, escalating a conflict that already threatens global shipping and regional stability. The declaration, made by Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaqari, a spokesperson for Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, frames Tehran's restraint as the only thing preventing broader devastation.
“If the recent threats by the president of the United States to target the infrastructure of the Islamic Republic are carried out,” Zolfaqari stated, “all infrastructure across the region that has so far remained intact solely because of Iran’s restraint will be crushed under the strikes of Iran’s armed forces.” He added that Iran's response would be “superior” rather than proportional, promising retaliation that is “more severe, more extensive, and more devastating than ever before.”
The warning came as the US and Iran exchanged strikes for a fifth consecutive day. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have launched two waves of ballistic missiles against a US military base in Jordan, while the Iranian military said it carried out drone attacks on US facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. The IRGC framed the strike on Jordan as retaliation for a US attack near a children's cancer hospital in Iran, a claim that could not be independently verified.
In response, the US military said it completed another wave of overnight strikes, hitting Iranian command centres, air defence systems, and missile and drone capabilities. For the first time in the current round of fighting, targets around Tehran and further north were struck, according to Iranian state media, which reported attacks near Qeshm Island, the southern port city of Chabahar, and Semnan province—home to key ballistic missile production facilities and Iran's space programme.
Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb: A Dual Threat
Iranian officials have increasingly framed the Strait of Hormuz as a core national security issue. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Tehran had “no reason” to accept any agreement that does not benefit Iran, adding that the country's national security depends on maintaining what he described as “Iranian arrangements” in the waterway. Ghalibaf also noted that Iran's new ayatollah, Mojtaba Khamenei, remains “the ultimate decision-maker on war or negotiations.”
Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia, spokesperson for the Iranian Army, rejected the idea that Tehran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz depends only on its southern coastline. “The Americans believed that by attacking some of our southern bases they could gain control of this strategic waterway,” he said. “In reality, the Islamic Republic is capable of controlling the Strait of Hormuz from across its territory, and this capability is by no means dependent on the coasts or islands.”
Meanwhile, multiple media reports suggest that Iran has asked its Houthi allies in Yemen to prepare to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a critical Red Sea shipping route, if US strikes target Iranian infrastructure and power plants. According to sources cited by the reports, the proposal has been discussed within Iran's leadership and communicated to the Houthis, who have reportedly deployed missiles and drones near the strategic waterway. This would threaten a second global shipping chokepoint, compounding disruptions already felt in the Strait of Hormuz.
The escalation has direct implications for Europe, which relies heavily on energy imports from the Gulf region and maritime trade through both straits. Any sustained disruption could drive up energy prices and strain supply chains, particularly for EU member states like Germany, France, and Italy, which are already grappling with economic uncertainty. The situation also risks drawing in European allies through NATO commitments, as US bases in the region are involved in the conflict.
For European policymakers, the crisis underscores the fragility of global energy routes and the need for diversified supply sources. The EU has previously sought to mediate between the US and Iran, but the current trajectory suggests that diplomatic off-ramps are narrowing. As Tehran and Washington trade blows, the continent watches with concern, aware that the fallout from a broader regional war could be severe.
