In a blistering rhetoric that sent shockwaves through regional capitals, Brigadier General Esmaeil Qaani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, declared that the United States and the "Zionist regime" will be forced to withdraw from West Asia "without any achievements", humiliated by the integrated resistance front.
"The integrated front of resistance has a powerful and effective presence throughout the region and is waiting for the enemies of humanity," Qaani wrote, according to a report by Iran's semi-official Tasnim News Agency. "The US and the Zionist regime should remember how they fled empty-handed from the heroic Yemen, Bab-el-Mandeb, and the Red Sea. Now, they will also leave the region without any achievements."
The defiant statement comes just hours after US President Donald Trump announced that the American Navy would "immediately" begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz, threatening to intercept any vessel in international waters that has paid transit fees to Iran.
Trump's blockade threat meets Iranian contempt
Trump's announcement, made on Sunday, specified that the US military would begin enforcing the blockade at 14:00 GMT on Monday. He warned that any ship that had "paid a toll to Iran" would be stopped, regardless of location.
However, US Central Command (CENTCOM) later walked back the breadth of the order, clarifying that the blockade would target only vessels travelling to or from Iranian ports, and that international shipping not linked to Iran would retain freedom of navigation through the strategic strait.
Iranian officials responded with scorn. Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, commander of the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy, dismissed Trump's threats as "very ridiculous and laughable".
"The brave men of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy are tracking and monitoring all movements of the aggressor US military in the region," Irani said in a statement carried by Press TV. "The threats of the US president following the humiliating defeat of his army in the third imposed war are not worth serious consideration."
"Trump should fear losing Bab al-Mandab"
In an exclusive report, Tasnim News Agency quoted an informed source warning that Trump's escalation could backfire catastrophically.
"Trump's threats of this kind are no longer effective and credible," the source told Tasnim. "If these threats were effective, Trump would not have been desperate to reach a ceasefire in the war."
The source added a stark caution: "Such stances will not improve the process of resolving problems, and Trump should fear not to lose Bab al-Mandab Strait by engaging in these foolish threats."
The remark underscores Tehran's strategic leverage: while the US focuses on Hormuz, Iran and its allies maintain significant influence over Bab al-Mandab, the narrow chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, through which an estimated 10 per cent of global trade passes.
Islamabad talks collapse amid mutual accusations
The heightened rhetoric follows the conclusion of marathon negotiations between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad, which ended without a breakthrough after nearly 20 hours of discussion.
US Vice President JD Vance, who led the American team, stated afterwards that it was now "up to Iran" to accept Washington's "final, best" offer.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi fired back on social media, accusing the US side of "maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade" when, in his words, "a deal was just inches away".
"Zero lessons earned," Araghchi wrote, implying that Washington had learned nothing from its repeated failures to pressure Tehran through military or economic means.
Iran tightens grip on Hormuz
Since the outbreak of the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran on 28 February, Tehran has imposed selective restrictions on passage through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for roughly 20 per cent of global oil shipments.
According to Press TV, the IRGC Navy has announced that the strait "will never return to its former state, especially for the US and Israel". Vessels serving friendly nations have been allowed to pass, while ships affiliated with Washington, Tel Aviv and their supporters have been barred.
Meanwhile, Iran's parliament has advanced draft legislation to impose transit fees in national currency and explicitly ban US and Israeli-flagged vessels from the waterway — a move that could further complicate international energy logistics.
Military posturing intensifies
Iran's armed forces have launched hundreds of ballistic and hypersonic missiles, alongside drone strikes, targeting American bases across West Asia and Israeli positions in the occupied territories. These operations, Tehran insists, are defensive responses to aggression.
The IRGC has repeatedly affirmed that it maintains full operational control over the Strait of Hormuz within Iran's territorial waters and will not permit external powers to dictate the terms of passage.