Iran’s Navy commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani. Photo: Iranian media

TEHRAN: Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani said on Monday that the United States was “deeply concerned” about Iran’s military operations, warning that Tehran’s armed forces could “ground” US forces wherever necessary, state-run IRNA reported.

Irani said Iran’s armed forces must remain fully prepared for what he described as the “Khorramshahr ahead,” referring to the historic defence of the city during the Iran-Iraq War and signalling the possibility of future military confrontations.

“Our main mission is to prevent the enemy from achieving its goals and objectives,” Irani said, adding that Iranian forces were closely monitoring the movements of their adversaries.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari, said the country’s adversaries had not expected Tehran to change the “equations of war” by expanding the battlefield to a regional level, Press TV reported.

Heydari highlighted the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, saying the vital waterway had the potential to significantly affect both regional and global economic equations.

“The Strait of Hormuz, one of the region’s key strategic points, has the capacity to significantly influence regional and global equations,” Heydari said.

Iran-Oman talks on safe Hormuz routes near final stage

Separately, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said negotiations with Oman over establishing safe routes through the Strait of Hormuz had reached their final stage, according to Iran’s ISNA news agency.

Baghaei said the two countries could register an agreement on a temporary safe route with the International Maritime Organization in the coming days.

“I hope that once again, some ill-intentioned parties do not interfere in this process,” he was quoted as saying.

During a separate press briefing, Baghaei said Iran would respond if the UN nuclear watchdog adopted a resolution against Tehran. He described European efforts to seek a resolution against Iran as “irrational,” arguing that the ongoing conflict with the United States had made Iran’s nuclear facilities inaccessible.

Responding to US Vice President JD Vance, who said he would not describe the Iran conflict as a “war,” Baghaei said Tehran considered the confrontation an “overt aggression.”

He also said a Qatari delegation had visited Tehran to help de-escalate tensions. According to Baghaei, a technical delegation from Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff had also travelled to Qatar to conduct specialised investigations into the case of missing pilots.

Iran warns South Korea over Gulf operations

Baghaei further warned that any South Korean military participation or presence in operations in the Gulf or Strait of Hormuz would be viewed by Tehran as support for US “aggression” and could result in “serious consequences.”

At the same time, he stressed that Iran values its longstanding relations with South Korea, noting that diplomatic ties between the two countries date back more than six decades and have developed on the basis of mutual respect.

The statements come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, with Tehran continuing to emphasise its military capabilities and the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz to regional and global security and trade.