Iran warns countries against cooperating with U.S.
US President Donald Trump reiterated threats to hit Iran ‘very hard.’
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US President Donald Trump reiterated threats to hit Iran ‘very hard.’
TEHRAN (AFP) — Iran’s military accused the United States of “escalating tensions” in the Middle East on Saturday and warned countries in the region against cooperating with Washington during the ongoing conflict.
“The United States is rapidly moving down the path of escalating tensions in the region,” said Ali Abdollahi, head of Iran’s military central command.
“Any country serving as defensive shield for criminal and aggressive America will be engulfed by the flames of war,” he said in a statement read on state television.
The remarks came after US President Donald Trump reiterated threats to hit Iran “very hard.”
US media reported he was considering renewed heavy attacks as soon as this weekend, including against energy infrastructure targets.
This week, Iran and the US resumed overnight exchanges of fire after a days-long lull in fighting although there were no reported strikes overnight Friday to Saturday.
The Middle East war broke out on 28 February when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, which has retaliated with missile and drone strikes across the region.
Tanker struck
Meanwhile, an “unknown projectile” struck a tanker off the coast of Oman, a British maritime agency said on Saturday.
The vessel reported it was “struck by an unknown projectile which has caused damage to the engine room”, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency said.
No injuries were reported in the incident, which occurred 12.5 miles off the coast of Lima, Oman, according to the agency.
Iran has effectively maintained control over navigation through Hormuz since the outbreak of the war, requiring vessels to obtain permission and pay transit fees before using the waterway.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have attacked and stopped a number of vessels attempting to transit Hormuz, insisting in recent days Iran has “full control” of the waterway.
Maritime trade tracking firm Kpler said on Friday that traffic through Hormuz has dropped “sharply.”
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