Iran warns US to stay out of Hormuz after Trump says US will ‘guide’ ships

Iran said on Thursday that if Washington renewed attacks it would respond with “long and painful strikes” on US positions, complicating US. plans for an international coalition to open the Strait of Hormuz. Two months into the war that started with US-Israeli strikes on Iran, the vital sea channel remains closed, choking off 20% of the world’s supplies of oil and gas. That has sent global energy prices surging and heightened concerns about the risks of an economic downturn. Efforts to resolve the conflict have hit an impasse, with a ceasefire in place since April 8 but Iran still blocking the strait in response to the US naval blockade of Iran’s oil exports, the country’s economic lifeline. US President Donald Trump is slated to receive a briefing on Thursday on plans for a series of fresh military strikes on Iran in hopes of making Iran more flexible on nuclear issues in negotiations, Axios news site reported late on Wednesday. That spurred big gains in oil prices, with the benchmark Brent crude contract hitting more than $126 a barrel at one point, its highest level since March 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It later slipped back to $113 a ⁠barrel. Any US attack on Iran, even if limited, will usher in “long and painful strikes” on US regional positions, a senior Revolutionary Guards official said. “We’ve seen what happened to your regional bases, we will see the same thing happen to your warships,” Aerospace Force Commander Majid Mousavi was quoted by Irania