Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya central headquarters issued a statement on Monday declaring that any regional state providing logistical support to the US military will be considered to have committed an act of war against Iran. The warning, delivered as a direct response to President Donald Trump’s remarks about controlling the Strait of Hormuz, also asserted that Tehran will not permit American interference in the management of the waterway. The statement holds the United States and its cooperating partners responsible for all insecurity and any expansion of conflict in the region.

Viewed from Tehran, the US has engaged in what the statement called repeated “adventurism and mischief” that endangers regional security, international trade, and the free passage of oil tankers. The Iranian armed forces, the statement said, will deal firmly with any disruption caused by the “aggressor and highwayman” American army operating outside Iranian-designated routes. Separately, the Iranian foreign ministry confirmed it is pursuing a joint security mechanism with Oman for the strait, while accusing Washington of obstructing those efforts. From Washington, Trump told Fox News that the US would likely “control” the strait and should be compensated as its “guardian angel,” though no operational details have been provided.

The Strait of Hormuz handles roughly one-fifth of global oil consumption, making any threat to its security a matter of immediate international concern. Iran’s explicit linkage of regional cooperation with the US to an act of war directly implicates Gulf Arab states that host American bases or provide logistical hubs. Analysts in the Gulf note that the warning places countries such as the UAE, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia in a strategic bind, as they depend on US security guarantees but also seek to avoid a direct military confrontation with Iran. The Iranian statement’s assertion that “flames of war will engulf all regional countries” if conflict widens signals a deliberate escalation of deterrence.

The backdrop is a cycle of renewed hostilities following the collapse of the 2015 nuclear agreement and intermittent military exchanges. The Iranian foreign ministry’s reference to a memorandum of understanding with Washington, and its condition that Tehran will not implement its commitments unless the other side fulfils its pledges, points to ongoing but fragile diplomatic channels, possibly mediated by Oman. The next concrete steps remain uncertain: Iran’s armed forces have already demonstrated what the statement called “powerful actions” in recent days, and the US has yet to clarify its posture. The dossier remains open, with the potential for miscalculation high as both sides test each other’s red lines.