Iranian Military: US Warships Will Be Fired Upon if They Enter Persian Gulf

The eight-month conflict between Iran and the United States has entered a tense phase as military leadership in Tehran issued new warnings regarding American naval presence.

President Donald Trump told supporters at a rally in Florida on Friday that the US military may launch another major offensive, a move he described as a potential repeat of the initial bombing campaign known as Epic Fury. Trump indicated that Washington has not yet decided between ending the fighting with massive strikes or continuing the current strategy of naval blockades and sanctions.

Ali Abdollahi, the chief of general staff of Iran's armed forces, responded on Saturday morning through a statement carried by state media. He declared that the US Navy cannot re-enter Iranian territorial waters or its immediate surroundings because Iranian forces can target any vessel in the region. Abdollahi stated that the US president can only dream of American soldiers and military assets returning to the Persian Gulf.

Abdollahi criticized what he called contradictory American rhetoric. He argued that while the US claims Iran's military capabilities are largely destroyed, Washington has not moved its aircraft carriers and support ships closer to Iranian territory. He said Iranian forces intend to pull the US and Israel into a quagmire in retaliation for the surprise attack on February 28 that started the war.

Economic pressures are mounting as shipping around the Strait of Hormuz faces continued attacks. Brent crude reached approximately $117 per barrel, its highest level since April, driven by the prospect of renewed hostilities. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that seven tankers were attacked or hit mines overnight into Thursday and claimed two supertankers struck mines on Friday. The IRGC stated that its doctrine has shifted toward a more offensive posture.

Regional fronts remain active as well. The Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen struck Riyadh on Saturday, following recent attacks on Dammam's international airport and the Shaybah oilfield. Saudi forces have bombed Houthi-held areas including Marib and Taiz. In southern Lebanon, reported Israeli air strikes hit the area around Nabatieh, with artillery falling near Zawtar ash-Sharqiyah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing an election on October 27, ordered a lockdown of the occupied West Bank after a Palestinian attack killed two soldiers in Hebron.

Iranian state-linked media and analysts claim Tehran has activated a dead hand doctrine. This strategy would allegedly allow attacks on US, Israeli, and regional interests to continue from all 31 provinces if senior leaders are assassinated again. The IRGC threatened to target seabed internet and communication cables if civilian infrastructure is struck once more. Axios reported on Saturday, citing US intelligence, that Iran has substantially increased efforts to strike American officials in the Middle East and elsewhere.

Diplomatic efforts have stalled. Senior diplomats from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt met with counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, and Italy in Istanbul on Friday, though neither the US nor Iran was present. Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said a new attack on Iran would widen the war and spread the conflict, adding that no one is endorsing such a move at this point. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul blamed Iran and the Houthis for instability, while the four regional ministers identified Israeli occupation as the main source of instability. They supported the Islamabad memorandum signed in June and demanded unrestricted passage through Hormuz.

Nour News, affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the Istanbul meeting revealed a gap between diplomatic claims and field realities. The outlet argued that the US and European powers must concede first. Reformist newspaper Etemad suggested that the zero hour of another intense round of conflict was approaching. Analyst Reza Nasri wrote on social media that Iran will no longer negotiate under bombardment and will end the cycle by all necessary means.