Iran bans US Navy from Gulf as oil prices climb

Brent crude prices reached approximately $117 per barrel, marking the highest level since April. The price surge followed statements from Iran's armed forces confirming their readiness to engage United States warships in the region. This development coincided with President Donald Trump's indication that Washington has not yet decided on its next strategic move in the ongoing conflict.

Ali Abdollahi, the chief of general staff of Iran's armed forces, issued a statement on Saturday morning via state media. He declared that the US Navy is barred from re-entering Iranian territorial waters or their immediate surroundings. Abdollahi asserted that Iran possesses the capability to target any vessel operating in the area. He added that the US president can only dream of American soldiers and military assets returning to the Persian Gulf.

The Iranian military chief criticized American rhetoric as contradictory. He noted that Washington claims Iranian military capabilities have been largely destroyed, yet the US refuses to move aircraft carriers and support ships closer to Iranian territory. Abdollahi stated that Iranian forces intend to trap the US and Israel in a quagmire. He cited the surprise attack on February 28, which initiated the eight-month war, as the reason for this retaliatory posture.

Shipping traffic around the Strait of Hormuz continues to face threats. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps reported that seven tankers were attacked or struck mines overnight into Thursday. On Friday, the IRGC claimed that two supertankers hit mines. The group stated its doctrine has shifted toward a more offensive approach. Washington has reportedly ordered many diplomatic staff to leave Saudi Arabia, with additional departures expected from other regional countries.

Other fronts of the conflict remained active on Saturday. The Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen struck Riyadh following recent attacks on Dammam's international airport and the Shaybah oilfield. Saudi forces responded by bombing Houthi-held areas, including Marib and Taiz. In southern Lebanon, reported Israeli air strikes hit the area around Nabatieh, and artillery fell near Zawtar ash-Sharqiyah.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a lockdown of the occupied West Bank after a Palestinian attack killed two soldiers in Hebron. Netanyahu faces an election scheduled for October 27. Meanwhile, Iranian state-linked media and analysts claimed Tehran has activated a dead hand doctrine. This protocol would allow attacks on US, Israeli, and regional interests to continue from all 31 provinces if senior leaders are assassinated again.

Diplomatic efforts have stalled. Senior diplomats from Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Egypt met with counterparts from the UK, France, Germany, and Italy in Istanbul on Friday. Neither the US nor Iran attended the talks. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said a new attack on Iran would widen the war and spread the conflict across the region. He added that no one is endorsing such an attack at this point. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul blamed Iran and the Houthis for regional instability, while the four regional ministers stated that Israeli occupation was the main source of instability.