Iran threatens wider oil route closures as US strikes intensify
The US has launched daylight airstrikes on Iranian missile sites, prompting Tehran to warn it could shut down additional regional oil export routes crucial to European energy supplies.
US Central Command carried out a 90-minute wave of daylight airstrikes on Wednesday, targeting Iranian coastal defence systems and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island. The operation marks a tactical shift to round-the-clock military pressure, moving beyond expected overnight bombardments to rapidly degrade Tehran's strategic infrastructure and limit its ability to recover.
Washington stated the campaign is aimed at limiting Iran's capacity to threaten commercial shipping. Over the past week, Tehran has attacked at least seven commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf, leading the US to reimpose a naval blockade on Iranian ports on Wednesday.
For European markets and energy companies, the most significant development is Tehran's explicit threat to expand the disruption. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until the US ends what it called "aggressive actions." The IRGC further warned that other regional oil and gas export routes serving US and allied interests could also become targets.
"Oil and gas exports from this region will either be possible for everyone or for no one," the IRGC stated. This threat to broader energy infrastructure elevates the risk profile for European economies reliant on stable Gulf imports. Former Iranian diplomat and economist Hossein Adeli reinforced this leverage on state television, arguing that Tehran's deterrence rests on military capability, political will, and the management of maritime traffic.
The escalation in military tactics has coincided with a rising civilian toll. Iranian authorities reported that seven military personnel were killed in a missile strike near Iranshahr, while a Health Ministry official said overnight strikes injured over 260 people, including minors. Since the conflict began on 28 February following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran claims 3,514 people have been killed, a figure that cannot be independently verified.
Diplomatic off-ramps appear increasingly narrow. Hardline political rhetoric inside Iran is hardening, with former foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki publicly suggesting Tehran should seize US regional bases and take soldiers captive. State media has amplified this stance with new public imagery in Tehran depicting US President Donald Trump inside a coffin and billboards reading "Blood for Blood."
With daylight operations now underway, the US is signalling a protracted campaign designed to deny Iran the ability to regroup. For European investors and businesses, this ensures that the risk of a prolonged chokehold on vital energy corridors will remain a pressing concern.
