07.09.2026 10:41
As tensions between Iran and the United States escalate on the military and economic fronts, a harsh message has come from Tehran to Washington. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that any new attack on his country would result in a "faster, heavier, and more painful" response. The Iranian administration has also established a new restricted zone covering parts of the Persian Gulf outside the Strait of Hormuz, while accelerating reforms against the economic pressure caused by U.S. sanctions.
As Iran announced it would step up its efforts to solve the problems caused by US sanctions in its economy, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said new attacks on his country would be met with "faster, heavier, and more painful" retaliation.
Iran announced it would accelerate reforms to reduce the pressure of US sanctions and the blockade on its oil exports on its economy. In a speech, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that new attacks on his country would be retaliated against.
Ghalibaf stated that the US must understand "before it is too late that the rules of the game have changed," and used the expressions, "From now on, any attack on Iran's interests and security will face a faster, heavier, and more painful response."
The statement came after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a ballistic missile attack on two US Navy ships. The US Central Command (CENTCOM) also announced on Saturday, September 5, that it had struck three Iranian tankers.
NEW RESTRICTION IN THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei announced that a new restricted zone would be declared covering some areas in the Persian Gulf outside the Strait of Hormuz. Rezaei stated that ships entering the said zone would be placed on the sanctions list. The details of the new practice have not yet been announced.
Since the start of the war, Iran has maintained its capacity to disrupt the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the global oil supply passed before the conflict.
SANCTIONS STRUGGLE IRAN'S ECONOMY
The US policy of preventing Iran's oil exports and attempts to circumvent sanctions is increasing pressure on the country's economy. Ghalibaf noted that besides the military front, the main struggle ahead of Iran was production and the livelihood conditions of the people. Ghalibaf pointed to sharp fluctuations in the exchange rate, inflation, unemployment, and market management as among the main problems.
Iran's Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh stated they would respond to US economic pressure with reforms and rejected the idea that sanctions would change Iran's policies. Madanizadeh said the responsibility for reforming the economy belongs not to the US Treasury Department, but to the Iranian government and people.
Deputy Minister of the Economy Morteza Zamanian also announced that the "Economic War Headquarters" would increase its efforts to solve the problems arising from the war.
KHARG ISLAND HIT 550 TIMES
Iran is the third-largest oil producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Before the war, approximately 90% of the country's crude oil exports were carried out from the export center on Kharg Island.
In a statement to state television, Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said Kharg Island had been hit approximately 550 times in previous months, but the oil center continued its activities.
US President Donald Trump also shared an artificial intelligence-generated video on his social media account on August 31 showing Kharg Island being "shattered." Iranian officials had announced they would respond strongly to a possible attack on the island.
In a statement yesterday, CENTCOM reported that within the scope of enforcing the oil blockade, 92 commercial ships had their routes changed, 3 ships were neutralized, and 2 ships were boarded.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated that the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz continues, adding that daily passages exceed 9 million barrels and that with alternative routes via pipelines, about two-thirds or more of the pre-conflict oil flow continues.