Iran Negotiation Chief: "U.S. Will Struggle With Hormuz Situation... We Haven't Even Begun to Respond"

As Iran has launched a military response against the United States' "Liberation Project," which aims to help ships escape entrapment in the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian chief negotiator for the end-of-war talks has warned of strong measures.

On May 5 (local time), Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament and chief end-of-war negotiator, commented on the standoff between the two countries surrounding the Strait of Hormuz via the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), saying, "We know very well that the current situation is something the United States will find difficult to endure."

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the Iranian Parliament. Photo by Yonhap News

He added, "However, we have not even begun our full-scale response yet," and defined the current situation as "the process of establishing a new equation in the Strait of Hormuz."

Ghalibaf criticized the United States, stating, "By violating the ceasefire and enforcing blockades, the United States has jeopardized the safety of maritime and energy transportation. Their wrongdoing will only worsen."

Previously, on May 4, the first day of the Liberation Project, the U.S. military deployed Apache helicopters to sink an Iranian speedboat in the Strait of Hormuz, ensuring the safe passage of merchant ships.

Subsequently, Iran resumed its attacks on the Gulf region, which had been suspended since the ceasefire took effect on April 8. On May 4, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Defense announced that it had intercepted 19 missiles and drones, believed to have been launched from Iran. The attack caused a fire at the Fujairah Petrochemical Complex, a major energy facility in the UAE.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.