Hormuz Archives | Daily Secrets

Iran could open battlefront in Bab el-Mandeb Strait if U.S. takes “stupid” actions on ground: media

Phil Will — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 08:05:37 +0000

TEHRAN, (Xinhua) — Iran could open another battlefront against the United States in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait if Washington seeks “stupid” actions on the ground to open the Strait of Hormuz, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.

“If the enemy seeks to take any action on the ground in Iranian islands or any other location in our lands, or inflict any cost on Iran through naval movements in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman, we will open other battlefronts against it as a surprise so that its actions will not only fail to be beneficial, but will also double its costs,” Tasnim quoted a military source as saying.

The source said, “We constantly monitor the preparations in and developments of the enemy’s front and keep them under surveillance.”

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is among the world’s strategic waterways, and Iran has the will and capability to produce completely credible threats against it, the source added. The developments come as the Pentagon is reportedly expected to send thousands of soldiers from the U.S. Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.

On Feb. 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran’s then-Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians.

Iran responded by launching waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. bases and assets in the Middle East. Iran also exercised tight control over the Strait of Hormuz by denying safe passage to vessels belonging to or affiliated with Israel and the United States.

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U.S. authorizes 30-day window for Iranian oil sales at sea amid supply concerns

Phil Will — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 07:21:39 +0000

NEW YORK, (Xinhua) — The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday issued a general license temporarily lifting sanctions on Iranian oil at sea for 30 days to address the supply shortage amid shipping interruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

The general license, issued by the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, authorized the delivery and sales of crude oil and petroleum products of Iranian origin loaded on vessels as of Friday.

Transactions for safe docking and anchoring of relevant vessels, preservation of health or safety of crew members, emergency repairs or environmental protection as well as various services were also allowed.

Notably, transactions authorized by this general license include the importation into the United States of crude oil and petroleum products of Iranian origin. “This temporary, short-term authorization is strictly limited to oil that is already in transit and does not allow new purchases or production,” said U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in an X post on Friday.

Iran will have difficulty accessing any revenue generated and the United States will continue to maintain maximum pressure on Iran and its ability to access the international financial system, said Bessent.

Washington has already eased sanctions on Russian and Venezuelan oil in addition to the coordinated release of emergency oil reserves under the umbrella of the International Energy Agency.

The ongoing war involving the United States, Israel and Iran has lasted three weeks, severely disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, as oil shipments through the strait have fallen to less than 10 percent of pre-conflict levels.

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