Tensions between Washington and Tehran have sharply escalated, with U.S. President Donald Trump demanding that Iran “surrender now,” while weighing new military options that could include “strong and swift” strikes targeting key infrastructure.
According to U.S. officials, United States Central Command has presented plans involving a short but intense wave of strikes aimed at breaking the current diplomatic deadlock and pushing Tehran back to negotiations over its nuclear program.
Additional proposals under consideration reportedly include efforts to secure parts of the Strait of Hormuz to ensure the safe passage of commercial shipping, potentially involving ground forces. Other options discussed include special operations targeting Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium.
In parallel, Washington has instructed its embassies to rally allied nations into a coalition aimed at safeguarding maritime navigation in the Gulf, underscoring the strategic importance of the waterway to global energy markets.
On the Iranian side, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei dismissed U.S. pressure, declaring that America had suffered a “shameful defeat” in the region. In a message broadcast on state television, he described the current moment as the beginning of a new phase for the Gulf and Hormuz, reports Al-Rai daily.
Khamenei asserted that regional security should be shaped by neighboring countries, not external powers, adding that foreign military bases in the region “cannot even secure themselves.” He also spoke of a “shared destiny” among Gulf nations, emphasizing closer regional alignment.
Iranian officials further signaled confidence in their strategic posture. President Masoud Pezeshkian described the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports as “doomed to failure,” while Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said that Iran’s management of the Strait could pave the way for a future free of American influence.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Majid Mousavi warned that any new attack, even a limited one, would trigger “long and painful strikes” against U.S. positions in the region.
The intensifying rhetoric on both sides highlights the fragile state of regional stability, with the Strait of Hormuz, through which a significant share of global oil supplies passes, emerging once again as a focal point of geopolitical confrontation.
