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‘Strike our assets and you will get struck,’ Qalibaf warns US
Qalibaf issued the stark warning in a post on X on Monday in response to recent threats by US War Secretary Pete Hegseth, who had claimed that Iran’s oil tanker fleet is “defenseless” and that American planes, ships and submarines can strike them all, Press TV reported.
The top Iranian parliamentarian said US oil and gas companies operating across the region and at related facilities are accessible, warning, “Strike our assets and you get struck.”
“It’s simple: the oil and gas production chain here is sprawling, accessible, and exposed.”
Qalibaf said Iran had already demonstrated its ability to respond in kind, emphasizing, “Ask the bases that are no longer viable.”
His remarks came amid escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington over the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran has restricted transit through the Strait of Hormuz since the early days of the US-Israeli war of aggression that began on February 28 and came to a halt under a ceasefire in early April amid the Islamic Republic’s brave resistance and successful retaliatory operations.
On June 17, Tehran and Washington signed the Pakistan-brokered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), whose Article 5 places responsibility for reopening and managing the strait squarely in Iran’s hands.
However, the US attempted to undermine Iran’s sovereignty over the vital global energy chokepoint by establishing an unsafe corridor near the Omani shores. The US also resumed its aerial assaults on Iran and imposed a naval blockade of the country in violation of the war-ending deal.
The unlawful US measures prompted Iran to declare the Strait of Hormuz closed to all traffic.
The Islamic Republic has stressed that the reopening of the critical waterway depends on US compliance with its obligations under the MoU.