Gulf Waters Closed: Iran Orders US Navy Out as Crude Tops $117

The Strait of Hormuz has become the most dangerous stretch of water in the world for commercial shipping.

Iran's armed forces declared on Saturday that United States warships can no longer enter Iranian territorial waters or the surrounding area. Ali Abdollahi, the chief of general staff, stated in a release carried by state media that Tehran can target any vessel in the region. He told the American president that his soldiers can only dream of re-entering the Persian Gulf.

The declaration followed comments by President Donald Trump at a rally in Florida on Friday. Trump indicated that the US military might launch another "Epic Fury" campaign, referencing the large-scale bombing operations that started the war. He suggested Washington has not yet decided between ending the conflict with massive strikes or continuing to squeeze Tehran with a naval blockade and sanctions.

Abdollahi criticized American rhetoric as contradictory. He argued that if the US believes Iran's military capabilities are destroyed, it should move its aircraft carriers and support ships closer to Iranian territory. The Iranian military chief said his forces intend to "drown" the US and Israel in a "quagmire" in retaliation for the surprise attack on February 28 that began the eight-month war.

Shipping traffic remains under pressure. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that seven tankers were attacked or hit mines overnight into Thursday. On Friday, the IRGC claimed two supertankers struck mines. These attacks have pushed Brent crude to approximately $117, the highest price since April. Washington has reportedly ordered many diplomatic staff to leave Saudi Arabia, with more departures expected from other regional countries.

Conflict has spread to other fronts. The Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen struck Riyadh on Saturday, following recent attacks on Dammam's international airport and the Shaybah oilfield. Saudi forces have bombed Houthi-held areas including Marib and Taiz. In southern Lebanon, Israeli air strikes hit the area around Nabatieh, and artillery fell near Zawtar ash-Sharqiyah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a lockdown of the occupied West Bank after a Palestinian attack killed two soldiers in Hebron ahead of his election on October 27.

Diplomatic efforts have stalled. Senior diplomats from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt met in Istanbul on Friday with counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, and Italy. Neither the US nor Iran attended. Turkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned that a new attack on Iran would widen the war. The regional ministers backed the Islamabad memorandum of understanding and demanded unrestricted passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state-linked media argued that the meeting revealed a gap between diplomatic claims and field realities.

Analyst Reza Nasri wrote on X that Iran will no longer negotiate under bombardment and will end the cycle by all necessary means. The IRGC has threatened seabed internet and communication cables if civilian infrastructure is targeted again. Axios reported on Saturday that US intelligence shows Iran has substantially increased efforts to strike American officials in the Middle East and elsewhere.