Tehran warns of ‘existential war’ with US, threatens regional infrastructure
Tehran on July 16 threatened to destroy “all the infrastructure in the region,” saying it was engaged in an “existential war” with the United States, as the foes battled over the vital Strait of Hormuz in the renewed Middle East war.
The U.S. struck Iran and Tehran hit back at its allies in the Gulf on July 16. The key oil and gas artery, which Iran insists it controls, is central to the rekindled fighting that has entered its sixth day despite the foes’ preliminary deal in June aiming to end the war.
Tehran’s top negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf issued a statement declaring that Iranian security depended on maintaining what he called “Iranian arrangements” in the strait.
“We are in an essential and existential war with America,” Ghalibaf said.
