Facing a US naval blockade, Iran’s layered sea-denial strategy – combining anti-ship missiles, naval mines, submarines, and alternative overland trade routes through Russia and China – gives Tehran multiple options to sustain its economy, raise the costs of enforcement, and ultimately pressure Washington into retreat.

Any war-ending deal with Iran must include a binding and enforceable US commitment to non-aggression and no future threats against Iran or its allies; without which any deal or understanding is merely a lull before another storm.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian says that Tehran would not bow to pressure or aggression, warning that the country would deliver a “crushing response” to any future attack.

Iran’s top military commander has warned that any miscalculation or threat by its adversaries will face a “forceful, regret-inducing and devastating” response.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has described the unity between Iran and Iraq as “unbreakable,” saying the two countries will continue to stand against the United States.

The Pentagon is considering a smaller US military presence in the Persian Gulf after Iranian strikes battered American bases, says a report.

Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi says Donald Trump’s “delusion” over the Strait of Hormuz will be corrected, just as he used the proper name of the Persian Gulf.