Iran Rejects US Pressure as Threats and Maritime Tensions Escalate

Iran’s military and political leadership has rejected pressure from the United States, warning that any further aggression will trigger a stronger response as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue to escalate.

Iranian Army Chief Major General Ali Abdollahi said on Sunday that the United States would fail in its attempts to pressure Tehran through economic, psychological and cognitive warfare, just as he claimed Washington had failed through military action.

According to Iran’s Press TV, Abdollahi said Washington was attempting to compensate for what he described as strategic shortcomings and battlefield setbacks by shifting its campaign to economic and psychological fronts.

He said Iran would not surrender to a combination of economic pressure, media operations and cognitive warfare, describing expectations of Iranian capitulation as a “false illusion”.

Abdollahi also argued that the United States had become accustomed to other countries accepting its demands and had wrongly assumed that Iranians would submit unconditionally.

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He said the United States and Israel were attempting to make up for what he described as military and regional setbacks through economic coercion and so-called soft warfare.

“The world of the future will be different from that of the past,” Abdollahi said, predicting a decline in US influence.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf separately warned that Tehran would respond more rapidly and forcefully to any future attacks against Iranian interests or security.

Ghalibaf said the era of “proportionate responses” had ended and warned that any further aggression would face a “faster, heavier, more painful” response.

He also claimed that Iranian military strikes against US bases had left American leaders in a difficult position.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its Aerospace Force had targeted a US aircraft carrier and a Navy destroyer with ballistic missiles.

The IRGC claimed the two vessels sustained damage and subsequently withdrew from the area. The group said the warships had been involved in what it described as harassment of Iranian vessels and a maritime blockade.

US Central Command, however, said Iran had launched ballistic missiles towards two US Navy warships operating in regional waters and that both vessels evaded the attacks. CENTCOM said no American personnel were injured.

The IRGC also said its naval forces had attacked a remotely operated US military vessel that it claimed was attempting to enter a protected area near the Strait of Hormuz. It did not provide details about the alleged attack.

Separately, CENTCOM said US forces had redirected 92 commercial vessels as part of what it described as enforcement of a maritime blockade against Iran. The command said three vessels had been disabled and two boarded as of September 6.

CENTCOM also said an F-35A stealth fighter was patrolling regional waters.

The confrontation has also affected commercial shipping and energy markets. CENTCOM said it had sunk the oil tanker M/T Kylo in the Gulf of Oman, describing the action as part of its military operations in the region.

Iran’s IRGC, meanwhile, said the US economic and maritime blockade could ultimately cost Washington more than Tehran. IRGC spokesman Brigadier General Hossein Mohibi argued that economic pressure would impose substantial costs on the United States and would not force Iran to surrender.

The wider crisis has also drawn neighbouring countries into diplomatic efforts. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi discussed regional developments and the latest developments in negotiations with Washington during a telephone conversation, according to reports.

Tensions have also remained high in Lebanon. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned renewed Israeli strikes on Nabatieh and surrounding areas, saying attacks on state institutions and health facilities represented a dangerous escalation.

Aoun said the strikes caused civilian casualties and damaged a Finance Ministry building and Ghandour Hospital. He called on the United States and international community to intervene to halt the attacks and hold those responsible accountable.

The escalation comes amid continued concern over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a major global energy route. Iran has previously warned against military action around the waterway, while US forces have sought to restrict Iranian oil shipments.

US President Donald Trump has also repeatedly threatened action against Iran’s Kharg Island, a major oil export hub. Iran has warned that any attack on the island would provoke a strong response.

The confrontation has raised concerns over global oil supplies and prices, with heightened tensions in the Middle East adding to fears of further disruption to energy markets.