Any source of support for US army ‘legitimate target’: Iran’s central military command

Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters says any source of support for the “aggressor US army” will be considered a legitimate target for Iranian armed forces.

The Wednesday statement came following a fresh wave of US strikes Tehran says has “openly violated” the ceasefire and “trampled” the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The United States attacked sites in southern Iran, prompting Tehran to respond by attacking US bases in the Persian Gulf region, among other positions.

“The source of any support for the aggressor US army to violate the sovereignty and territory of Islamic Iran will be a legitimate target for the armed forces,” the headquarters said.

The headquarters also reiterated that the only safe route for commercial ships and oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz is the path designated by Iran, and that Tehran will not allow any interference in the management of the Strait.

The latest attacks came as Iran marked the funeral ceremonies of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in Iraq.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the retaliatory strikes were “an attempt to overshadow massive funeral processions in Iran and Iraq for the martyred Leader, which represented a major political defeat for Washington.”

In an “initial response” to the American aggression, the IRGC’s naval and aerospace forces conducted a joint missile and drone operation, striking 85 locations hosting important US military facilities.

Iran says key parts of MoU ineffective, warns US of 'dangerous consequences'

The Foreign Ministry has denounced US military attacks on southern Iran as a “flagrant violation” of the truce agreement.

The strikes hit facilities at Port Salman and the US Fifth Fleet’s area in Bahrain, as well as Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.

The IRGC also announced the downing of an MQ-9 drone over Bushehr province that attempted to interfere with the operation.

The latest escalation follows strikes on several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz that were not following Iran’s authorized route.

Oil prices jumped five percent immediately after remarks by US President Donald Trump, having already reached their highest level in two weeks.

The White House also revoked sanction waivers on Iranian oil sales, cancelling a license announced in June that had allowed Iran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil until August 21.

Iran’s chief negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said the United States had committed “major” breaches of the MoU, including by reinstating the oil sanctions.

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