Iran threatens stronger response if US launches more attacks

Iran has warned that the era of measured retaliation is over. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker who has acted as Tehran's chief negotiator in talks to end the war, said any further US attack would bring a faster and more painful response.

"The Americans must have understood that the era of proportionate responses has come to an end," Ghalibaf said in a speech carried by Iranian state media. "Any aggression against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, more intense and more painful response."

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The Americans must have understood that the era of proportionate responses has come to an end.

The warning came after Tehran targeted American warships in the latest exchange of fire. The clashes began with US raids last week, during a six-month war that has reached a deadlock. Iran has maintained control over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, while Washington continues a counter-blockade of Iranian ports and seeks to pressure the Iranian economy through sanctions on entities with financial links to the Islamic republic.

US Central Command said Iran unsuccessfully fired at an aircraft carrier and a destroyer on Saturday. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the ships had been forced to retreat after suffering damage, but CENTCOM said they evaded the attacks successfully.

The US military then said it struck three oil tankers linked to the Guards. CENTCOM said the vessels formed part of a multibillion-dollar shadow network that funds the Revolutionary Guard and its regional proxies. It said two carriers were permanently disabled and a third was destroyed after its crew abandoned ship. Video released by CENTCOM showed fireballs and flames after projectiles struck the vessels.

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Any aggression against Iran's interests and security will receive a faster, more intense and more painful response.

Iran's Guards said their naval forces had targeted three oil tankers using routes Tehran had not authorised through the strait, along with three vessels affiliated with the United States. The Guards warned ships against using unapproved routes and later said they had attacked a US naval drone trying to enter the waterway.

CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper described the strikes as an economic exchange: "If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours."

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If you shoot at two of our ships, we will impose an even higher economic cost, taking out three of yours.