Amid escalating tensions with the US, Iran has issued fresh warnings, declaring that all logistical and service centers in the Red Sea that are assisting the USS Gerald R Ford carriers in the war are being considered “targets” for the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC). G
Gerald R Ford, one of the most advanced US warships, has been deployed to West Asia amid the ongoing Iran-US war. It typically operates as part of a carrier strike group, accompanied by several escort vessels such as guided-missile destroyers and cruisers, along with support ships that provide fuel, supplies, maintenance, and other logistical support needed for sustained operations at sea.
According to Press TV, the warship has moved closer to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah port. The report also cited an earlier warning to the USS carrier in the which an IRGC commander said that Iranian forces were waiting for it “to reach the designated perimeter”.
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The carrier was docked at the Souda base on the Greek island of Crete two weeks ago, before it sailed eastwards with ships carrying missiles, as reported by news agency Reuters earlier.
‘Missiles used so far are decades old’
In another warning to the US, the IRGC reportedly said that the missiles it has used so far in the war are at least 10 years ago, as it threatened the US with a fresh cache, produced after the conflict with the US and Israel back in June last year.
“Many of the missiles we have produced since the 12-day war until the Ramadan war have not yet been deployed,” IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naeini was quoted as saying by Press TV. He further issued a warning to the US on the Strait of Hormuz, asserting control on the key oil passage. “If the enemy claims to have destroyed our navy, let them dare to bring their warships into the Persian Gulf,” Naeini challenged”.
The Strait of Hormuz operations have been hit since the beginning of the ongoing US-Iran war.
In an effort to have ships cleared from the waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil is transported, US President Donald Trump even reached out to seven countries, urging them to send warships to the strait. Of those, Japan and Australia have reportedly already said no.
Warning for establishments in the UAE
On Saturday, Iran declared all US interests in the UAE, ports, docks and military locations, legitimate targets. It warned that ports in Fujairah, Jebel Ali and Port Khalifa had become legitimate targets due to the presence of US military forces in civilian facilities, multiple reports said, citing the semi-official Fars news agency.
Hours later, Fujairah, the UAE’s only export route outside the Strait of Hormuz, was attacked by a drone, sparking a fire in the petrochemicals complex.
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The Iran-US war has entered the third week, with no conclusion to the ongoing Strait of Hormuz crisis in sight. The blockade has affected several countries and has also triggered a big jump in crude prices.
