The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Saturday that any attack on Iranian commercial or oil tankers would trigger a "heavy assault" against US positions and hostile vessels in the region.
"Warning! Any aggression against Iranian oil tankers and commercial vessels will be met with a heavy attack against one of the American centers in the region and enemy ships," said the IRGC Navy command, according to the Fars news agency.
The commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force Majid Mousavi said missiles and drones are "locked onto the enemy" and awaiting orders to launch.
The UK Defense Ministry said earlier that it is deploying a Royal Navy warship to the Middle East in preparation for a possible multinational mission to protect commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The HMS Dragon, a Type 45 destroyer previously stationed in the eastern Mediterranean near Cyprus, will "pre-position" in the region and stand ready to join a UK- and French-led maritime initiative once conditions allow, multiple UK news outlets reported, citing the ministry spokesman.
Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire took effect April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a set deadline, giving way to diplomacy for a permanent solution to the war.
Since April 13, the US has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the waterway. Trump announced Tuesday that the US military will temporarily pause "Project Freedom" to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping through the shipping channel, and said the American blockade will remain "in full force and effect."
