‘Waiting For Them’: Iran's ‘Escort Ships Via Strait Of Hormuz’ Dare To US Amid Tensions

Last Updated:March 07, 2026, 12:36 IST

IRGC's comments came after US Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced that the US Navy was preparing to escort ships through the strategic waterway.

West Asia Conflict: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday warned the United States that it was “waiting" for them to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, as tensions escalate in the region amid the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran.

While issuing a warning, IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini cautioned Washington against the move, referring to past incidents in the Gulf.

“We are waiting for their presence. We recommend that before making any decision, the Americans remember the fire of the American supertanker Bridgeton in 1987 and the oil tankers that were recently targeted," Naini said as quoted by news agency AFP.

Naini’s comments came after US Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced that the US Navy was preparing to escort ships through the strategic waterway once it is “reasonable to do it."

Wright told Fox News that the US Navy was preparing to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz to ensure safe passage and restore the flow of energy supplies through the route, which has been heavily disrupted by the conflict.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump also said American naval forces would begin escorting oil tankers through the strait “as soon as possible" to prevent major disruptions to global energy shipments.

Earlier, Iran said that the Strait of Hormuz is “closed" for shipping traffic and warned that any vessel attempting to pass through the strategic waterway would be attacked.

“The strait is closed. If anyone tries to pass, the heroes of the Revolutionary Guards and the regular navy will set those ships ablaze," Brigadier General Sardar Ebrahim Jabari, a senior adviser to the Guards commander-in-chief, was quoted as saying by Iranian state media.

The threat comes amid heightened tensions following the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli strike, which triggered retaliatory missile attacks by Tehran on several Gulf countries hosting US military bases.

The Strait of Hormuz, located between Iran and Oman, is one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes. Roughly 20 percent of global daily oil consumption passes through the narrow channel linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait during periods of heightened tension but has not fully blocked it since the 1980s “Tanker War," when Iran and Iraq targeted commercial vessels in the Gulf.

(With inputs from AFP)

News world ‘Waiting For Them’: Iran's ‘Escort Ships Via Strait Of Hormuz’ Dare To US Amid Tensions

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