IRGC Navy Warns of Retaliatory Strike on US Base if Iranian Ships Attacked

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy has warned that any attack on Iranian oil tankers or commercial ships will trigger a wide attack on one of the American bases in the region and on enemy ships. The statement was reported by Iran’s state-run IRIB News agency on Saturday.

Tensions remain high in the strait where Iranian and U.S. forces have exchanged fire in limited skirmishes. An IRGC commander said missiles and drones are locked on American targets in the region and on aggressor enemy ships while awaiting an order to fire.

General Sardar Mousavi of the IRGC Aerospace Force made the statement to IRIB News. The navy command’s warning came as President Trump said the ceasefire between the United States and Iran is still in effect. Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani spoke by phone with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

The two discussed the ceasefire between the United States and Iran as well as de-escalation efforts. Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said both sides stressed the need for dialogue to address root causes of the crisis and enhance regional stability.

Hezbollah said its fighters launched 22 strikes on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel on Saturday. The group used rocket barrages, artillery shells and attack drones against troop gatherings and vehicles in towns including Biyyada, Rachaf, Deir Siryan and Chama.

Additional strikes targeted areas east of Khiam, near Naqoura, Tayr Harfa, Misgav Am, Jall el-Aalam and a helipad in the Shlomi settlement. The Israeli military said it intercepted a suspicious aerial target in an area where its soldiers are operating in southern Lebanon.

No sirens were sounded in accordance with protocol. The incident was reported separately from the IRGC statements.

Sina Azodi, director of the Middle East studies programme at George Washington University, said both Iran and the United States believe they have won the conflict. This perception is making negotiations more difficult because each side feels less need to make concessions.

Azodi told Al Jazeera that resolving the issue of Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity through a mutually agreed suspension could lead to a high likelihood of a deal. Mark Kimmitt, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said the United States needs to rebalance its relationships in the Gulf region by treating partners as individuals with differing goals rather than as client states.

He pointed to the NATO model in Europe as a contrast. Kimmitt added that financial pressures, including national debt exceeding defense spending, make the current approach unsustainable. Iran’s football federation announced that the men’s national team will participate in the 2026 World Cup beginning in June.

The federation demanded that co-hosts United States, Mexico and Canada agree to its conditions amid the regional conflict. The statement followed Canada’s refusal last month to allow the federation’s chief to enter the country over alleged links to the IRGC.