Amidst a protracted standoff over strategic waterways in the Middle East, a top military adviser to Iran’s supreme leader issued a stark warning to the United States, declaring that the Gulf of Oman could become a graveyard for American warships if the President Donald Trump’s administration does not lift their naval blockade.
According to a report made by Anadolu English on Monday, 18 May, 2026, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, a prominent member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council during an interview with Iranian state television, framed the US naval blockade, which has been in effect since April 13, as a direct act of war, saying “My advice to the US militarily is to back off before the Gulf of Oman turns into a graveyard for your ships.”
He also added that the restraint of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the leadership of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei in recent weeks should not be mistaken for an acceptance of pressure or intimidation, asserting that responding to a blockade is Tehran’s natural right.
The senior Iranian military figure, Rezaei went further to questioned the legitimacy of the ongoing American military footprint in the region, arguing that the original justifications for such a deployment have long expired.
He also said “America comes here and brings its warships. Who is its enemy? At one time, they said they came to confront the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union no longer exists,” reflecting a broader Iranian argument that foreign forces are the primary source of instability in the Gulf.
As the conflict between the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran under the leadership of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and the American Government disrupts global energy supplies, with Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that normally handles about 20 million barrels of oil shipments daily and around 20% of global liquefied natural gas trade, Rezaei, confirmed that the Strait of Hormuz remains open to trade, but warned that the Strait would be closed to military buildups and any attempts to destabilize security……See More
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