Daijiworld Media Network - Tehran
Tehran, Jul 18: Senior military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Mohsen Rezaee, has warned that Tehran will launch a full-scale offensive if the United States continues its military campaign over the next two to three days.
"We will enter the stage of the enemy's full-scale invasion and annihilation if the United States continued the war in the next two to three days," Rezaee said in a post on X.
He further warned, "In the event of activating this strategy, we will no longer settle for retaliation in kind, and no political border will provide security against Iran's offensive forces."
The warning came as the United States and Iran intensified attacks across the Middle East, exchanging strikes on military and infrastructure targets amid escalating tensions over control of the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States widened its campaign by targeting additional bridges and energy facilities in Iran and reportedly collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, in line with President Donald Trump's pledge to increase pressure on Tehran to loosen its grip over the strategic waterway, a crucial route for global energy supplies.
In retaliation, Iran launched missile strikes targeting US-allied countries in the region, including Qatar, which has played a mediating role in the conflict, and Kuwait, where one of the country's desalination plants was reportedly damaged.
The conflict has seen days of sustained exchanges of attacks, with the battle increasingly centred on the Strait of Hormuz. The collapse of an interim ceasefire has further reduced hopes of an immediate end to the war, which began more than four months ago.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late on Friday that it had carried out its seventh consecutive night of military strikes aimed at weakening Iran's military capabilities.
Iranian officials claimed that recent US attacks had killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more, with additional casualties reported on Friday. The US military also acknowledged that more of its service personnel had been injured during the hostilities.
Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz to commercial shipping after the United States and Israel launched military operations on February 28, disrupting one of the world's busiest energy corridors. The move pushed global oil prices sharply higher and strengthened Tehran's leverage in ongoing negotiations.
Oil prices climbed above USD 86 a barrel on Friday, nearing their highest level in a month, while shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to a three-week low, according to international shipping data.
Addressing the American public on Thursday, President Donald Trump defended the military campaign, saying, "We are likewise winning big in Iran, and you will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly."