A commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened the entire region with harsh consequences if the United States destabilized the Strait of Hormuz, state news site WANA reported on Thursday.
"Will you make the sacred Strait of Hormuz unsafe? We will turn the entire region into hell for you from across Iran,” Brigadier-General Majid Mousavi, commander of the IRGC's Aerospace Force, stated.
Mousavi also added that his statement was a direct response to recent US strikes in the region, and that Iran would act decisively if hostile action continued.
Mousavi's statements came after the Iranian military's Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters announced that the Strait of Hormuz would be completely closed to all ships, and that any vessels attempting to pass through would be targeted.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied that the Strait of Hormuz has been closed, asserting that "commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out of the Strait" in a post on X/Twitter. Iran later disputed this claim.
US launches 'self-defense' strikes on Iran
On Wednesday night, CENTCOM announced that it launched “self-defense strikes” against multiple targets in Iran at the direction of US President Donald Trump.
CENTCOM stated that it targeted Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communications systems, and air defense sites across Iran with precision munitions. The sites targeted posed a threat to US forces in the region and commercial ships attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz, according to the US military.