Tehran, July 18: A top Iranian military adviser warned that if the United States continues the war against Iran for another two to three days, the country will enter an “offensive and destructive” phase.

Mohsen Rezaei, military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said in an interview with state-run IRIB TV that the policy of “both war and negotiation” has ended, adding that if US attacks continue, Iran’s armed forces will no longer limit themselves to retaliatory strikes, and US bases and forces will no longer be safe within any political borders, Xinhua news agency reported.

Rezaei said Iran has so far exercised restraint to prevent the war from expanding into a broader regional and international crisis, accusing the United States of miscalculating by turning the war into a regional one.

He warned that if the United States continues its anti-Iran actions, Iran will deploy additional military capabilities, including ground forces, and the war’s scope will expand.

Rezaei also called on the peoples of regional countries, including Kuwait, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, to help prevent further escalation.

He noted that even at the current stage, Iran’s responses to the US attacks have been “very heavy,” warning that the intensity of Iranian military operations will increase in the coming days.

“The United States must wait for expanded waves of missile and drone attacks,” Rezaei said, cautioning Washington against any ground operation against Iran.

Meanwhile, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Friday that Iranian forces targeted a “violating” vessel in the Strait of Hormuz earlier in the day.

Citing an informed military source, Tasnim said that the Thai-flagged vessel attempted to cross the strait without obtaining necessary permissions from the Navy of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps and ignored warnings.

Over the past several days, the US military has launched multiple waves of strikes against Iran’s southern provinces, claiming that the attacks are in response to the Iranian armed forces’ targeting of vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and aimed at “degrading Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping.”

Iran has responded with waves of missile and drone attacks targeting US military bases and facilities across the region.

Tehran, July 17: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said on Friday that it carried retaliatory strikes against US special operations command centre in Syria, American weapons depots and launchers in Kuwait, and radar sites in Oman, local media reported.

In a statement, the IRGC said that the operations had started during the 11th, 12th and 13th waves of Operation Nasr-2. According to the statement, the 11th wave was dedicated to the deceased soldiers of Bampur in Iranshahr, adding that the forces, during this operation, carried out a surprise strike on the US special forces command centre in Syria’s al-Tanf region, Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported.

In a separate statement, the IRGC’s Public Relations Department said that Iranian forces had started retaliatory strikes, first of which struck a missile defence surveillance radar, several US weapons depots, two HIMARS launchers, and a number of missiles, causing a large fire at a base hosting the US forces in Kuwait.

Later, the IRGC stated that its forces attacked and destroyed a naval surveillance radar at the Salmah Plateau and US air surveillance radar located in the Ghanam area of Oman.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti Army said that its air defences are confronting hostile missile and drone strikes after Iran’s action. It urged people to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the authorities.

“Kuwaiti air defenses are currently confronting hostile missile and drone attacks following the sinful Iranian aggression. The General Staff of the Army notes that if explosion sounds are heard, they are the result of air defense systems intercepting the hostile attacks. Everyone is kindly requested to adhere to the security and safety instructions issued by the competent authorities,” Kuwait Army posted on X.

On Wednesday, Iran’s IRGC said that it conducted retaliatory strikes against the US military facilities in Bahrain and Jordan, attacking their military infrastructure, aircraft shelters, key command centres and strategic drones.

In a statement, the IRGC said its Aerospace Force targetted the US military base at al-Azraq in Jordan in response to renewed US aggression against Iran. The attack destroyed shelters which have US F-15, F-16, and F-35 fighter jets, and several MQ-9 strategic drones stationed at the base.

The IRGC claimed that a significant amount of US military attacks against Iran were conducted from American bases in Jordan. It urged people of Jordan to end the presence of US forces in their country and prevent its territory from being used as a launchpad for attacks against Islamic nations and the Palestinian people. The IRGC also urged Jordanians to take up every opportunity to “destroy American institutions and expel the occupying US army from Jordan.”

In a separate statement, the IRGC said its navy attacked the US Fifth Fleet’s facilities in Bahrain, targetting the NSI management centre, large warehouses sheltering military parts and equipment, the command and control centre, and fuel storage facilities, IRNA reported.

It said that the strikes were conducted in response to the US deploying its naval forces in the Indian Ocean and blocking maritime routes under the pretext of controlling the Strait of Hormuz.

The Strait of Hormuz links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. It is one of the world’s most important energy corridors, carrying oil and liquefied natural gas exports from major Gulf producers to international markets.

Washington, July 17: The White House has accused Iran of violating a memorandum of understanding with the United States by attacking commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, saying President Donald Trump authorised renewed military strikes because Tehran had failed to honour its commitments despite continuing to express interest in negotiations.

Speaking at the White House daily briefing on Thursday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran had breached a key provision of the agreement by firing on commercial vessels, prompting the administration to respond militarily.

“I’ve spoken with the President about this as recently as an hour ago. Iran very much continues to talk to the United States of America and express that they want to make a deal with us, because they are suffering devastating blows on behalf of our United States military,” Leavitt added.

She said the recent strikes were a direct response to Tehran’s actions.

“The reason for the recent strikes over the course of the last several days is because Iran violated the memorandum of understanding that we struck with them,” she added.

“Specifically in the memorandum of understanding that they signed, they were not to fire on commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz.”

According to Leavitt, Trump was determined not to allow attacks on international shipping to continue unchecked.

“President Trump is not going to sit by and allow these active acts of terrorism to take place in the strait without ensuring Iran pays consequences for that,” she said.

Despite the renewed military action, Leavitt added that diplomatic contacts had not ended.

“The President is always open and willing to diplomacy. He is the peace through strength President,” Leavitt said, adding that after Operation Epic Fury, “we did move forward into a diplomatic phase,” but Iran subsequently violated the agreement.

“They (Iran) have expressed they still want to make a deal to the President. We’re (US is) talking to them.”

Leavitt also announced that the United States had reimposed a naval blockade on vessels travelling to and from Iranian ports.

“We know that there is a blockade of ships directed by the President (Trump) for ships entering and departing Iranian ports only. This has been fully implemented and is in full force,” she said.

She added that more than 10,000 American sailors, Marines and airmen, supported by two aircraft carriers, over 20 warships and dozens of aircraft, were enforcing the blockade.

“During the first 24 hours of the blockade, US CENTCOM has redirected two compliant commercial vessels and disabled one non-compliant vessel,” she said, adding that the Strait remained open for ships not trading with Iranian ports.

Responding to questions about conflicting public comments from Trump and Vice-President JD Vance on diplomacy with Iran, Leavitt rejected suggestions of divisions within the administration.

“I can tell you the President, Vice-President, are on the exact same page,” she said, adding that Operation Epic Fury had left Iran’s leadership fragmented and weakened.